Moist Lightened Up Chocolate Cupcakes with Penuche Frosting

Lightened up chocolate cupcakes that taste even better than their more fatty competitor?  Sign me up!  These cupcakes melt in your mouth!  You honestly would never know that applesauce was added to lighten them up in place of butter or oil.  And the penuche frosting, where do I begin?  Let's just say this stuff is worth gold to me =).  If you have never tried penuche, it's basically an insanely delicious, caramel like brown sugar fudge, and here it is in frosting form.  The cupcake recipe is my own and the frosting recipe was adapted from allrecipes.com, thank you allrecipes love that site!
  
Moist Lightened Up Chocolate Cupcakes
Yields 24 cupcakes


Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda 
1 tsp baking baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
6 Tbsp applesauce
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp unsulphured molasses
2 tsp vanilla extract 
3/4 cup hot water


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Fill two muffin tins with paper liners and butter top of muffin tin.  In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add in eggs, sour cream, applesauce, melted butter, buttermilk, molasses and vanilla and mix until blended.  Stir in hot water and mix with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Pour about 1/4 cup mixture (or fill cups 3/4 full) into 24 paper lined muffin cups (there should be just a bit left over) and bake for 17-18 minutes until a toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.  Allow cupcakes to cool before frosting.  


Penuche Frosting


Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar*
1/4 cup half-and-half
1 pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp hot water


Directions:
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in brown sugar and salt and bring mixture just to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Stir in half-and-half and bring mixture just to a boil, stirring constantly.  Remove mixture from heat and stir in vanilla.  Allow mixture to cool to warm (original recipe states "lukewarm" but I found warm worked better) then beat in powdered sugar.  Add hot water as needed to thin frosting out 1 tablespoon at a time.  Immediately spread frosting over cooled cake/cupcakes before it sets.


*I usually only have light brown sugar on hand so I just add 1 tsp molasses to this recipe along with the light brown sugar (rather than using dark brown).


Penuche Frosting Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com
Cupcake Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

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S'mores Bites - Two Ways

With a Kiss...

or with a Rolo, take your pick!

Seriously, dessert doesn't get any easier than this!  This definitely has got to be one of my easiest recipes yet, and cutest =).  They can be made in 5 minutes or less and they taste just like a S'more, or upgraded S'more if you use Rolo's.  These are the perfect way to be able to enjoy a S'more in the comfort of your home even in the winter time.  How fun would these be for a party?  They'd be sure to put a smile on everyone's face.  I also tried these with Saltine Crackers and they were delish, they gave them that slightly salty with sweet tastiness. 

For best results just be sure to eat them right after toasting to get that gooey, toasted, authentic S'mores goodness.

S'mores Bites 
Yields 12


Ingredients:
6 graham cracker sheets*, or 12 Saltine or Ritz Crackers
6 large marshmallows
12 Hershey's Kisses or Rolos, unwrapped


Directions:
Break graham cracker sheets in half, then cut each half into a circle using a 2 1/4" circle fondant cutter or metal cookie cutter (if using Saltine or Ritz Crackers no cutting needed).  Using clean scissors cut each marshmallow into 2 halves.  Heat oven to Low Broil and place oven rack two levels below broiler.  Align graham crackers in the center of a cookie sheet about 1/2" apart from each other (you want them all to be near the center so they are directly under the broiler and cook more evenly at the same time).  Top each graham cracker with a marshmallow with the cut/sticky side down.  Place marshmallow topped graham crackers under broiler (turn oven light on if you have one) DON'T WALK AWAY, watch them closely as they will toast quickly, allow to toast until golden rotating pan with oven mitt as needed (I left the oven door open the entire time to watch them and rotate, just be careful).  Once golden immediately remove from oven, place 1 Kiss or Rolo in the center of each toasted marshmallow and gently press down.  For best results serve warm, just like a real S'more.


Note: you could easily double this recipe but I wouldn't recommend toasting more than 12 at a time for more even toasting.


*I used a package of graham crackers that had been open for a couple of days, I don't know if this will make a difference to help with easier cutting and less breakage or not.  The crackers seem to soften slightly when you do this, just thought I better mention it.


Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

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Lasagna Roll Ups

Lasagna in a single serving form, no more messy sloppy layered squares!  I love these.  Not only do they look incredible they taste incredible!  I doubt I will ever make regular layered lasagna again.  These are the perfect serving size, and they are so much fancier.  If you ask me I think they are even easier than layered lasagna.

You will notice in the ingredients list I stated freshly grated cheese for all the cheeses, you are not allowed to use the pre-grated stuff, it's junk especially for lasagna =).  You will also noticed in the recipe that I stated to grind the cooked beef/onion mixture in the food processor for a few seconds, I do this because every really good Italian restaurant I've been to seems to have finely ground beef in their pasta sauces and I love it.  You don't get any large chunks of beef in your sauce, it just gives it a better consistency.  If you have a small family this is a perfect dish to make the whole batch, then freeze half (unbaked) and thaw overnight the day before you want to eat it and bake the next day for dinner.  I love getting two meals from one.  

I would recommend serving this along with your favorite Italian bread and a fresh salad topped with The Old Spaghetti Factory's Creamy Pesto Salad Dressing, then finishing dinner off with some Fresh Strawberry Gelato.  Yum!

Lasagna Roll Ups
Yields 12


Ingredients:
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes (I'd recommend Contadina Brand)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 Tbsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste


1 (15 oz) container Ricotta Cheese
1 large egg
1/3 cup fresh flat leaf parsley (aka Italian Parsley, its about 1 small handful), chopped
2 1/4 cups freshly grated Mozzarella Cheese, divided
3/4 cup freshly, finely grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
1/3 cup freshly, finely grated Romano Cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper


12 uncooked lasagna noodles


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Drizzle one tablespoon olive oil into a large non-stick fry pan.  Heat over medium high heat, crumble ground beef over oil, add chopped onions and cook mixture stirring occasionally and breaking up meat, until browned.  Drain fat from beef.  Pour beef mixture into a food processor and pulse for about 5 seconds until it is ground into fine pieces.  Pour beef mixture back into fry pan and add crushed tomatoes, minced garlic, basil, oregano and 1 tablespoon olive oil and stir.  Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste then cover with a lid and simmer over low heat while preparing pasta and cheese mixture.
Cook lasagna noodles in a large pot of boiling water along with 1 tsp salt and 2 tablespoon olive oil to al dente according to directions listed on package.  Once noodles are cooked, drain and immediately line noodles in a single layer on waxed paper or cookie sheets.  
Prepare cheese mixture (I do this while pasta is cooking) by stirring together Ricotta cheese, egg, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper with a fork in a large mixing bowl until well combine.  Stir in chopped fresh parsley.  Add in 1 3/4 cups grated Mozzarella Cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese and 1/3 cup Romano Cheese, stir mixture until well combine.
Stir meat sauce and spread 1/3 cup evenly into a 13x9 inch baking dish by tilting pan back and forth.  Spread 1/4 cup cheese mixture evenly onto each cooked lasagna noodle, then spread 1 heaping tablespoon meat sauce along the top of cheese covered noodle.  Roll noodles up jellyroll style and arrange seam side down in baking dish.  Cover rolled noodles with remaining meat sauce (about a heaping 1/8 cup over each) then sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese evenly over roll ups.  Tent lasagna roll ups with foil (don't allow foil to rest on cheese or it will stick you just want to loosely tent to prevent the cheese from browning) and bake for 35 minutes in preheated oven.  Serve warm garnished with additional chopped fresh parsley. 


Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

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The Old Spaghetti Factory's Creamy Pesto Salad Dressing

One of my favorite places to eat is The Old Spaghetti Factory. Why? I LOVE their pesto salad dressing.  I came up with this recipe so I can enjoy it at home. We eat it about once a week in my home. Not only do I use it to dress my salad, but I also use it as a veggie dip, a sandwich spread and I even love dipping pizza in it (healthy I know =). This recipe is so simple and super quick to make! Try this recipe and I think it will become a staple in your home too.
I would highly recommend serving this over a simple green salad with homemade croutons, once you've had homemade croutons you can never go back to store-bought.

Spaghetti Factory's Creamy Pesto Salad Dressing

Yields about 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise

1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk

1 1/2 Tbsp dried basil

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/4 cup freshly, finely grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth and creamy. Pour into an airtight container and refrigerate 1 hour (this will help the flavors develop, I don't always do it if I don't have an hour to wait). Serve over salad or use as a dip.

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Simple Dill Dip for Veggies, Chips or Crackers

How do you get kids (and yourself) to eat veggies?  A great answer: a great dip.  This dip is so easy to make, it takes maybe 3 minutes if that.  It stores in the refrigerator up to 3 weeks (as long as all your cream cheese/sour cream doesn't expire before then), so that is a definite plus to this recipe.  You can make it and have it on hand in the fridge, and whenever you need a healthy snack grab some veggies and dunk them in this simple yet amazing dip.  You could even use 1/3 less fat cream cheese and light sour cream to cut back on the amount of fat in it.  You will no longer be buying that pre-made stuff at the grocer once you have this =).

Dill Vegetable Dip

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 Tbsp ranch seasoning mix

2 tsp dried dill

1 ½ tsp dried parsley

1 tsp dried chives (optional)

1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder

salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Directions

Pulse cream cheese in food processor until smooth.  Add remaining ingredients and pulse a few seconds until well blended.  Serve with vegetables, chips or crackers.  Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks (as long as cream cheese/sour cream doesn't expire before then).

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Cornbread Sugar Cookie Squares with Honey Butter Frosting

It's official, I'm in love with cornbread lately!  I posted my recipe for Cornbread Pancakes with Honey Butter Syrup a few weeks ago (I've made them again twice since =) and it got me thinking what else I could give all the delicious flavors of the classic cornbread to, honey butter and all.  Sugar cookies are a favorite cookie of many people (including myself), so I set out on a venture to turn my Simple Sugar Cookie Squares into a cornbread version.  I'm ecstatic that my experiment turned out so wonderfully =).  Sometimes I get one of these random food ideas and they are a total failure, but the ones like these that are successful are the ones that keep me experimenting.  These are truly one of my new favorite cookies.  I love that they are so unique.  I've never tasted a cookie like it.  Yes, they have nearly the exact same texture as frosted sugar cookies but they have a flavor all their own, a sweet cornbread covered in creamy honey butter flavor.  I couldn't think of what to call them, so I just decided to name them after their inspiration, cornbread and sugar cookies.  
I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!  Oh and bonus they are even healthier than your average sugar cookie because the corn flour adds in whole grain, wahoo, unintentionally healthier =).  These are so easy to make, so get going and make a batch!


Cornbread Sugar Cookie Squares 
Yields 24 squares


Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole grain corn flour (this is NOT cornstarch)*
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 Tbsp sour cream
1 tsp lemon juice
1 recipe Honey Butter Frosting, recipe follows


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter a 13 x 9 baking dish, set aside.  In a mixing bowl whisk together all-purpose flour, corn flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip together butter and sugar until light and fluffy about 3 - 4 minutes.  Stir in egg, egg yolk, sour cream and lemon juice.  Slowly mix in dry ingredients and stir until well blended.  Gently press mixture evenly into buttered dish and bake 16 - 18 minutes until edges are lightly golden.  Allow to cool completely then frost with Honey Butter Frosting.  Store cookies in a single layer in an airtight container.


*Cornflour can be found in the health foods or gluten free section of the supermarket, if you can't find it there it is also sold online (here).  I used Bob's Red Mill brand.  This is entirely different from cornstarch so do NOT use cornstarch, I know some people refer to cornstarch as cornflour so I just wanted to clarify here that's not what you use in this recipe.


Honey Butter Frosting


Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter, softened
3 1/2 Tbsp honey
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/8 tsp salt


Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whip with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

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