Spooky Witches Fingers

This sugar cookies are perfect for the coming Halloween!!
The recipe is easy to prepare and kids would love to help shape the fingers or put on the almond nails :)
Use green or purple color to make the fingers even more witch like :)

Spooky Witches Fingers
Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 2/3 all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole almonds

Food color optional
Few drops green, purple or any other color you want to use.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease baking sheets.
Combine the butter, sugar, egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat together with an
electric mixer. Gradually add the flour, baking powder, and salt, continually beating.
Refrigerate 20 to 30 minutes.
Remove dough from refrigerator in small amounts. Scoop 1 heaping teaspoon at a time onto a piece of waxed paper. Use the waxed paper to roll the dough into a thin finger-shaped cookie. Press one almond into one end of each cookie to give the appearance of a long fingernail. Squeeze cookie near the tip and again near the center of each to give the impression of knuckles. You can also cut into the dough with a sharp knife at the same points to help give a more finger-like appearance.
Arrange the shaped cookies on the baking sheets.
Bake in the preheated oven until the cookies are slightly golden in color, 20 to 25 minutes.

Optional:
Remove the almond from the end of each cookie. Squeeze a small amount of red decorating gel into its place. Place the almond to cause the gel to ooze out around the tip of the cookie.
TIP: This cookies are not very sweet. For sweeter version, you can use additional 2 -3 tablespoons sugar.
When you are forming the fingers, make them longer and thinner for a better shaped fingers.

Enjoy!!

Butterscotch Cake

This cake is based on a recipe I have from Martha Steward web site.
I modified it to be more moist and the butterscotch sauce crunchier :)

Butterscotch Pecan Cake from Martha Stewart

My version with little changes:

Ingredients:

Cake
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 stick butter ( you can use half of the butter, rest apple sauce)
2 1/2 brown sugar
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1 table spoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon rum, or rum extract

Frosting
3 sticks butter
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup confectioners sugar

Butterscotch sauce
2/3  brown sugar
6 table spoons butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

Method:

All the ingredients for the cake should be room temperature.
If using apple sauce instead of butter, the cake will have more moisture to it and reduce the calories. For a butter taste simply add a teaspoon of butter essence.

Directions

Make the cakes:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat three 8-by-2-inch round cake pans with cooking spray, line with parchment, and coat parchment. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
Beat butter and brown sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then add vanilla and rum. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in 2 additions, alternating with buttermilk. Raise speed to medium-high, and beat for 2 minutes. Divide batter among pans.
Bake cakes until golden brown and testers inserted in centers come out clean, about 40 minutes. Transfer pans to wire racks, and let cool slightly. Invert cakes onto racks. Let cool.

Make the frosting:
Melt 1 stick butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until dark golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add brown sugar, cream, and salt, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, and cook for 3 minutes. Transfer to a mixer bowl, and let cool.
With machine running, add remaining butter, a few pieces at a time, and beat on low until incorporated. Raise speed to medium, and beat for 2 minutes. In another bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar on medium-high until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Add brown-butter mixture to cream cheese, and beat until smooth. Cover, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours (or overnight, beating on low speed before using).

Make the butterscotch sauce:
Mix sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat, and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and whisk in cream. Return to heat, and cook for 3-4 more minutes. Let cool slightly. It should thicken in order to form crunchy layer on the cake.

To assemble the cake:
Trim tops of 2 cake layers and top and bottom of third (this will be the middle) to create flat exposed surfaces. Brush 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butterscotch sauce on cut sides. Let cool. Spread 1 cup frosting on 1 layer, then place middle layer on top, sauce side down. Spread 1 cup frosting on middle layer, then place third layer on top, sauce side down. Spread 1 cup frosting on top and sides. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
Using an offset spatula, spread remaining frosting on top and sides of cake. Press chopped pecans on sides, and garnish top with halves. Transfer cake to a serving plate or cake stand. Refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours (or up to 2 days, covered).

Enjoy!!! 

.

Eclair

Eclair with vanilla filling and chocolate topping

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter

• 1 cup water

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 4 eggs

• 1 (5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

• 2 1/2 cups cold milk

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3 tablespoons hot water

Directions:Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet.In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, stirring until butter melts completely. Reduce heat to low, and add flour and salt. Stir vigorously until mixture leaves the sides of the pan and begins to form a stiff ball. Remove from heat. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well to incorporate completely after each addition. With a spoon or a pastry bag fitted with a No. 10, or larger, tip, spoon or pipe dough onto cookie sheet in 1 1/2 x 4 inch strips.Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and bake 20 minutes more, until hollow sounding when lightly tapped on the bottom. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Filling:

Combine pudding mix and milk in medium bowl according to package directions. In a separate bowl, beat the cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Beat in 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Fold whipped cream into pudding.

Assembling:

Cut tops off of cooled pastry shells with a sharp knife. Fill shells with pudding mixture and replace tops.Icing:

For the icing, melt the chocolate and 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in 1 cup confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in hot water, one tablespoon at a time, until icing is smooth and has reached desired consistency. Remove from heat, cool slightly, and drizzle over filled eclairs. Refrigerate until serving.

Enjoy!!!

Pumpkin whoopee pies

Kids are back to school, leaves are turning orange, red....It's Falls again!

What a better time to find a good new pumpkin recipes and warm up the kitchen with the fresh pie, cookies,  scones or whoopee pies!

Who really does not like the smell of pumpkin and cinnamon... it reminds me of the beginning of the holidays for most of us. From now until Jan its all about baking cakes, cookies, and making all kinds of delicious food to help us all enjoys the holidays!!

Lets start with pumpkin whoopee pies. 

This is a recipe I found on marthastewart.com and wanted to try making this delicious pies for the kids to enjoy :) and sure they did!!!

Ingredients:

Dough: 

3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground ginger

2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 cups pumpkin puree

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Filling

1 stick, 1/2 cup butter

3 cups confectioners sugar

8 ounces cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Oil two baking sheets. Set them aside.

Whisk together flour, salt, baking power, baking soda, ginger and cloves.
In a different bowl beat brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree, eggs and vanilla, Mix well.  Now, add the flour mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.
Using a small ice cream scoop , drop heaping tablespoon of dough into  prepared baking sheet 1 inch apart. Bake until cookies start to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of the pies comes out clean - 15 mins. Let them cool down completely.

Filling:
Beat butter untill smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
Assembling:

Transfer filling to a disposable pastry bag and snip the end. Once the pies have cooled completely pipe a large dollop of filling on the flat side of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies and press down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookie.  Refrigerate for at least 30 mins up to 3 days.

Enjoy!!!