TWD: Not-Just-For-Thanksgiving Cranberry Shortbread Cake

If you think the title of this recipe is a mouthful, wait till you bake this delicious dessert! The recipe itself is very simple, a shortbread dough divided into a top layer and a bottom layer. The in between layer is a cranberry orange jam filling.

I was a bit hesitant to bake these up. I don't really know why other than trying to be careful of baking too many sweets and life just keeping me busy. When I looked over the recipe, I realized it was very simple. So simple, all I had to do was make the dough.

You see, last summer, my grandma taught me how to can. I went a little obsessive and canned everything I could think of, especially jams. Jam is one of the simplest things to can. I'm sure you can see where this is going. I didn't realize last summer, how long it would take 2 people to eat through everything that I had canned, especially the jam. We have definitely found some creative ways and fun ways to eat jam. One of my husband's favorites was the cranberry orange jam that I came up with.

The bottom line, the cranberry orange jam that I created last summer was almost the same as the one Dorie uses as the filling in this cookie! I was so excited to have another way to use up the jam on my pantry shelf. This recipe was so simple and so delicious. The best part is the versatility of this recipe. You can fill it with whatever sweet, fruity, jam type filling you can think of!


Our hostess this week was Jessica of A Singleton in the Kitchen. The recipe can be found on her blog.

TWD: Peanuttiest Blondies

This week's recipe was sure to be a huge hit with my husband. He loves all things peanut butter. Growing up we rarely had chunky peanut butter. I'm sure there was a reason but we were a smooth household.

When I got married, my husband requested chunky peanut butter. Ok, by me but I found I still prefer smooth. Nevertheless when I look at this recipe I knew he would love it...and he did! I wasn't the biggest fan. For some reason the combination of chunky peanut butter, salted peanuts and the sweet bite of a chocolate chip did just not appeal to me this week. I suppose you can't win them all.

Thank you to our hostess, Nicole from Bakeologie. The recipe can be found on her blog.

TWD: All-American, All-Delicious Apple Pie

I could say something about my absence the last several months but I'm sure I probably don't have any readers left. I'm sure you all have busy lives and don't want to hear about mine. Life happens.

While life is happening, sometimes I am baking and sometimes I am not. For the things have made and not blogged about, I am planning to post. I find the hardest part is not finding the time to bake but finding the time and words in which to blog. I am not a writer, never have been and never will be and most days I don't have any interesting stories. But, I do love baking!

I recently got the chance to meet Dorie Greenspan, the author of this amazing book we are baking through and without whom, this group wouldn't exist. She was even more wonderful in person than I imagined her to be. What struck me as the most inspirational that night was when she said that Baking: From My Home to Yours and Around My French Table are what she considers to be her autobiographies. I am going to remind myself of her dedication every time I want to be a slacker.

That said, I have actually made this pie 3 times! The first pie, seen below, I made with apples from last year. I had peeled, cored, sliced and frozen them and needed to clear them out of my freezer. I made it for the first day of school for the teachers my husband works with. They all loved it. I was not impressed. The problem was with the apples, they tasted fine but had a mushy texture that I did not enjoy. Two days later, my husband came home and said one of his fellow teachers had dreamed about my pie.

The second time, I made the pie, I forgot to take a picture. I am so disappointed because in my opinion, it came out the best. One of the most beautiful apple pies, I've ever seen. I took the pie to the cast party for my husband's show. Again, I received rave reviews. Not only did I not get a picture, I never even got a bite. They inhaled it.

The third time, pictured at the top, I made as a thank you gift. The reviews were just as amazing as the first 2 pies. She has also requested more baked goods as soon as possible.

In the end, I only got a sliver of the first pie, which I didn't like! But The reviews speak for themselves, the pie is amazing!


The only change I really made was that I used flour as the thickener instead of tapioca. I didn't have tapioca and the flour substitute turned out great.

Thank you to our hostess this week, Emily of Sandmuffin. The recipe can be found on her blog.

TWD: Chockablock Cookies

Molasses, Oats, Cherries, Chocolate, Pecans, Coconut...Oh My!

Yes, folks, that is a lot of ingredients to pack into one little cookie. But let me tell you they are delicious.

Dorie's recipe uses a combination of both butter and shortening, I decided to take the lazy way out and just used all butter. She also gives a lot of room for creativity in this recipe. You can use any combination of nuts and dried fruit you would like. I opted for using dried cherries and pecans in additional to the oats, coconut and chocolate chips that were already part of the recipe. I loved the flavors together. They all complimented each other really well. The cookies were sticky in texture from the molasses and the the dough had a strong molasses flavor but in the end I didn't really notice a molasses flavor at all.

Thank you to Mary of Popsicles and Sandy Feet. You can find the recipe on her blog.

TWD: Sweet Cream Biscuits

I bring FABULOUS news! As of yesterday afternoon, my oven has been fixed. Since only the glass shattered, they were able to just replace the glass (and my landlords don't have to buy me a new stove). Putting the door back on proved to be quite a challenge for both our handyman and my husband who was helping. Apparently we have an older stove and the door is heavy and the hinges are old so the heavy door on the old hinges was a bad combination. But after a few adjustments, I am back in business!

Since, my oven wasn't finally repaired until yesterday afternoon and last week was so successful, I decided to go back to my trusty toaster oven this past weekend. We had a house guest on Saturday morning so I decided to whip up a batch of biscuits for our brunch. And when I say whip up, I mean it! A few dry ingredients, pour in some cream and roll out the biscuits. These were so much easier than using a pastry cutter to cut cold butter into flour.

First Batch, 1/2" thickness

I followed Dorie's instructions and roll them to 1/2" thickness. I used a square cookie cutter and got about 10 biscuits. They didn't rise as much as I wanted them to but they weren't flat hockey pucks either. While the first batch was cooking (I could only fit 4 on my toaster oven stoneware pan) I went to the P&Q for this week and found many people mentioning Alton Brown's instructions to be very helpful. I hadn't seen the episode and couldn't find it online so I read the instructions of his recipe hoping for a couple hints. He mentions placing the biscuits close together on the baking sheet. Of course, I thought this way odd. When I make cookies, I always space them out for spreading. I decided to give it a try. When the second batch of biscuits went into the toaster oven, I placed them close together, expecting them not to rise very much since these were also the biscuits I rolled out second so they were worked a little more. And to my surprise, they rose! They didn't rise a ton but again I didn't have flat hockey pucks.

Second Batch, 1" thickness

I sent the extra biscuits from brunch home with our friend. And later that night I remembered I had bought strawberries that were on sale and had wanted to have strawberry shortcakes. Since the biscuits whip so fast and I still had 1 cup left of heavy cream. I decided to make another batch.

I had also noticed in Alton Brown's instructions that he said to only roll out to 1" thickness to prevent from overworking the dough. Since we were having strawberry shortcakes I thought thicker biscuits would be better. I only got a total of 7 out of the second recipe but the rose very nicely.

I know the key to making biscuits is not the overwork the dough and I definitely saw a difference. These were delicious and easy and will most likely be my go to recipe for biscuits.

Our hostess this week was Melissa of Love At First Bite. You will find the recipe on her blog.

TWD: Swedish Visiting Cake

If you read last week's post about my oven. You heard my tale of woes. I won't bore you again with the details except to tell you I want to bake in the worst way. As luck would have it (and with my strong desire to bake) the buzz about this cake all week on Twitter and our P&Q was that this cake was easy and fabulous. I was disappointed to say the least.

When I opened my Google reader this morning it was filled with posts about the Swedish Visiting Cake and how wonderful and easy it was to make. One of the first ones I read was my friend Clara, IHeartFood4Thought. Even though being sick she was able to whip up a few MINI Swedish Visiting TARTS! And the light bulb went off. My toaster oven has a bake setting. Certainly my cast iron skillet wouldn't fit inside (actually, its home is on top!) but I could fit a mini tart pan in my toaster oven!


To say I was determined was an understatement. I went to work thinking about nothing except my plan. I couldn't wait to get home. And as luck would have that, I had a very short day at the account closest to my house.

I think this may be my most memorable TWD, The One With the Toaster Oven! And of course my friends on twitter did not disappoint. This cake was super easy to whip up. To quote our hostess this week, "If you can stir with a spoon, you've got this cake made."

Our hostess this week is Nancy of The Dogs Eat the Crumbs. You can find the full recipe on her blog. Thanks, Nancy, for a great selection to help me find the motivation I needed this week!

Edit: I was so excited to post this and tell everyone about my great experience I left out a few details. I made a 1/2 recipe and got 3 4.5" tarts. On the bake setting on my toaster oven I still baked them at 350 but only for 20 minutes since they were mini. And if you are on the fence at all about making this let me just tell you from start to finish, including taking pictures and writing this post, I think I used a total of an hour and a half of my day. And it tastes fantastic!

TWD: Dulce de Leche Duos

If you came looking for a Coconut Tea Cake; you unfortunately will not find one here. I had a minor mishap last week and am without an oven...Until Further Notice! What is a girl to do?? Don't the oven gods know I have baking to do! I am may be alone in this fact but once I am told I can't do something it only makes me want to do it more. I want to bake something in the worst way and not even because I am craving a sweet but just because I want to bake.

However, even though I am disappointed that I don't have an oven. I will not disappoint my fellow TWD bakers and readers. I have a few recipes that I made and for some reason or another never got around to posting. I will post those until I have a new oven or a new glass door or whatever it is that my landlords replace my mishap with.

These sweet cookies were our TWD recipe a couple weeks ago. I took the advice of several TWD bakers and made the dulce de leche in the crock pot method overnight. I was pleased with the results however, I think it could have cooked a bit longer. It didn't come out in a dark caramel color. It was a bit lighter and to me still tasted like sweetened condensed milk. I loved the cookies by themselves. I ate several before I wrapped them up and froze them in order to save my waistline! Adding the extra dulce de leche in the middle to make a sandwich is still gooey and sugary and yummy but I love a good plain cookie.

Our host was Jodie of Beansy Loves Cake and the recipe can be found here. For tips on making your own dulce de leche you can see our TWD discussion here and here.


PS. If your heart was set on a Coconut Tea Cake head over to see Carmen of Carmen Cooks for the recipe!

TWD: Mocha-Walnut Marbled Bundt Cake

As you can see this is not a bundt cake. I don't have a full size bundt cake pan and didn't feel like dealing with the tiny ones I have that never come clean. My solution was to make half the recipe and I put it in my loaf pan!

The other big change I made was substituting the walnuts. I already had ground up almonds in my cupboard so I took the easy route. I have been having a bit of a hard time getting my Dorie recipes made every week because if it says in the house, I eat it and well...that hasn't really been a good problem to have. I am also really good at making new new things and not sitting down and blogging them. I'll never make it as a professional blogger that's for sure!

Never the less, I made this week easy on myself. I used my loaf pan and almonds. I thought it came out great. The two pieces you see cut in the picture are all the were consumed in this house; one for me and one for my husband. (I have to at least taste test it right?!) I then wrapped it right up and put in the freezer. I'm planning to mail it to my brother in college.

This week's host was Erin of When In Doubt...Leave It At 350. You can find the recipe on her blog.

PS. If you came look for a Coconut Tea Cake, come back next week. We had the option of choosing either with the Easter holiday coming up.

TWD: My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

As usual I was excited about this week's recipe. My mom has made my grandma's chocolate chip cookie recipe for as long as I remember. It is good, it stands up well, not flat, good flavor and perfect for dunking in milk.

When I got married and moved away, I was suddenly without my mother's favorite recipe book and all her hand-written recipes! I may or may not have had a slight panic attack. When the day came to whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies I decided to just used the Original Toll House recipe on the back of the bag. I had bought the chocolate chips. I needed a recipe. It was there. Now dont panic on me but I really enjoyed them. I loved the extra buttery flavor. I loved that they came out flatter and crispier. And since the recipe was on the back of the bag it became my new favorite. It was just convenient. And delicious!

There were some mixed reviews on Dorie's recipe. I don't think anyone had a problem with her recipe (although some found it best to chill the dough before baking and I agree). I think the mix of reviews comes from different tastes.

Some like them chewy, others like them crispy.

Some like them with milk chocolate, other like them with bittersweet chocolate.

Some like them buttery, others like them less fatty!

When it comes to finding the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe, I think it is all a matter of preference.

When it comes to Dorie's recipe, I am a big fan! This recipe, like many other Dorie recipes, will become my new default recipe. And the husband said he liked these ones better than the Toll House recipe.

This week's host was Kait of Kait's Plate and you can find the recipe on her blog.

TWD: Milk Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes

This week's hostess for Tuesdays With Dorie was Kristin of I'm Right About Everything. You will be able to find the recipe for this week on her blog.

My tiny little nibble of this cake was amazing. It is mild in chocolate flavor and not too sweet. I didn't have a taste once the glaze was on so I'm sure the chocolate flavor increased after that addition. I'm am quite proud of myself for 2 reasons. One for getting this recipe baked and two for resisting to eat this sweet treat.

However, I must confess.

While I may not have eaten the final product...some small amount of batter may have been consumed.

Ok, fine...A LOT of batter was consumed. It was amazing.

And thus, I was not allowed to eat the final product due to the calories I consumed in making this beautiful little cake.

Now, I must go "taste test" the new bread recipe I made today. You must go make this cake! :)

TWD: Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars

Dorie's

Okay, so I'm a week behind. I don't have this week's Cocoa-Nana Bread but if you are looking for the recipe, you can find here on Obsessed With Baking by Steph. I just didn't get it done this week and the brown bananas on my counter are the evidence of my lacking of timing.

It looks like I might have some more free time in my near future. I am not loosing my job but my work load seems to be getting considerably lighter. I suppose this is both a good and bad problem to have. Hopefully, I will be able to get a few more things posted here for the very few readers I have.

Now, back to the chocolate...

I was really excited to make this recipe because I make a very similar recipe of my own and its one of my all time favorite cookies. Whenever my mom made these, she took them to a party or an event of some kind, never leaving any at home of course. If she made them for the church bake sale, I would go and buy one just so I could eat one. Yes, they are THAT good.

Dorie's recipe did not disappoint. There aren't too many differences. Dorie puts nuts in her cookie base, I skipped this so I could have a better comparison. She also uses old-fashioned oats as opposed to quick oats. Dorie's were definitely chewier, my mom's are a bit more like a cookie. Dorie puts raisins in her chocolate filling. I have a problem with raisins and chocolate, unless they are Raisinets, I don't like the combo. I decided to put dried cherries in mine. I loved the added tartness in an otherwise very fudgey chocolate filling.

Mine

In the end, I don't have one that I like better. Both recipes are fantastic. You can find my recipe here on my blog. This week's host was Lillian of Confectiona's Realm and you can find Dorie's recipe on Lillian's blog.

Tuesdays With Dorie!

TWD: Cocoa Buttermilk Birthday Cake and Happy Birthday TWD!!!

Tuesdays With Dorie is celebrating our 2 year anniversary as a group! For this very special tuesday we were given a choice of 2 recipes to pick from. I thought it very fitting to make the birthday cake.

This is the Cocoa Buttermilk Birthday Cake. It was fantastic and very easy to make. This cake was a huge hit at a dinner party I hosted a few days after Christmas. You can find the recipe here, on our fearless leader's blog. Laurie had no idea what was in store for her when she started this baking group 2 years ago. She is a fantastic leader and baker!

I realize I have fallen behind on posting the fabulous Dorie recipes that have been chosen in the past few months. I am planning to do a recap soon. Back looking forward I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of blogging.

TWD: Tribute to Katherine Hepburn Brownies

Not only are we giving a tribute to Katherine Hepburn and her brownies this week we are also giving a tribute to Lisa of Surviving Oz. I am also giving giving my husband a special tribute as today is our 2 year anniversary! But for now back to the brownies...

You will notice at the top of this post a new TWD logo. A while back our TWD admins presented a contest to us, come up with a new logo for our group. Lisa of Surviving Oz was our winner and her reward was selecting our next recipe (and if you know how big our group is, jumping the line on picking a recipe is a BIG deal!)

So, Thank You Lisa for our new logo and this week's recipe!!



I chose to skip the cinnamon and the coffee. I baked them a little bit longer than the recommended 30 minutes as early reviews from fellow bakers had gooey brownies. I took these to a 4th of July BBQ and they were a big hit. We made them into brownie sundaes. Personally I prefer Dorie's French Chocolate Brownies but these are good too!

Hoestess: Lisa of Surviving Oz
Recipe Here!

TWD: Parisian Apple Tartlet

I think this is by far the easiest TWD I have ever made! I'm sure it helped that the recipe called for store bought puff pastry dough (props to those who made their own puff pastry!) I don't think it gets much easier than this. I will definitely be keeping this one in my back pocket for last minute guests.

The only change I made was to add some additional brown sugar right after they came out of the oven for an added sugar crust. We served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Amazing!

Our Hostess: Jessica of My Baking Heart

TWD: Chipster-Topped Brownies

FINALLY!!!

This was my week to pick our Dorie recipe!

I have to say I was very excited. The instant I received the email telling me my week was approaching, I grabbed the book and sat down with my husband. It didn't take us long to pick a recipe once we stumbled upon this brownie recipe. You see my husband has a weakness for chocolate chip cookies and an even bigger weakness for brownies.

I started getting a little nervous when the reviews from bakers who bake our recipes way in advance starting coming in about the cooking time being off and getting gooey middles. I took the advice of one baker who suggested baking the brownie layer for 15 minutes while mixing the cookie layer. It definitely helped to bake the brownie layer first. In the end, my total baking time was 60 minutes and an additional 15 for the brownie layer. I did placed some foil over the top for the last 15 minutes so my cookie layer didn't burn. I also didn't try to spread the cookie layer out, I just let it spread on its own while it baked.

At first I was slightly disappointed because my chocolate chips seemed to sink into my brownie layer leaving me with a brownie with a golden colored top. My disappointment didn't last long once I tasted them. Amazing! I personally still would have preferred more of a cookie layer but these were still great!

Thanks to all who baked with me this week!


Chipster-Topped Brownies
Dorie Greenspan, Baking: From my Home to Yours

Ingredients

For the Brownie Layer:
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 2/3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

For the Cookie Layer:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or 1 cup store bought chocolate chip

Getting Ready
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9x13 inch baking pan, line it with wax paper or parchment paper and butter the paper. Put the pan on a baking sheet.

To Make the Brownie Batter:
Put both chocolates and the butter in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stirring occasionally, heat just until the ingredients are melted, shiny and smooth. If the mixture get too hot, the butter will separate from the chocolates. Remove the bowl from the heat.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until pale, thick and creamy. Beat in the salt and vanilla extract. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the melted chocolate and butter, mixing only until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then, still on low speed, add flour, mixing only until it disappears into the batter. Using the spatula, fold in the walnuts, and scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Set aside.

To Make the Cookie Dough:
Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.

Working with the stand mixer in the cleaned bowl or with the hand mixer in another large bowl, beat the butter and both sugars together on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. One at a time, add the egg and the yolk, beating for 1 minutes after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the dough. Still on low, mix in the chopped chocolate. Drop the cookie dough by spoonfuls over the brownie batter and, using a spatula and a light touch, spread it evenly over the batter.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the cookie top is deep gold brown and firm and a thin knife inserted into the brownie layer comes out with only faint streaks of moist chocolate. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature.

When the brownies are completely cook, carefully run a knife between the sides of the pan and the brownies, then invert them onto another rack, remove the paper and turn the right side up onto a cutting board. Cut into bars about 2 inches x 1 inch. (You can cut larger bars if you're serving cookie lovers with Texas-size appetites.)

Makes 24 servings.

Serving: Ice cream, whipped cream and creme fraiche are all great accompaniments, as is a generous drizzle of chocolate sauce.

Storing: Wrapped well or packed in an airtight container, the bars can be kept at room temperature for 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

Playing Around: The cookie top can be varied easily be swapping peanut butter, butterscotch or white chocolate chips for the chopped chocolate. You could even use all of them.

TWD: Fresh Mango Bread

I had a hard time motivating myself to make this week's recipe. It just didn't seem to appeal to me and I really don't know why.

The hardest part was peeling and coring the mangos. I am very thankful for my mango corer! My mangos had great color and weren't green and yet were still a bit green underneath. I wish I had double peeled them and got rid of some of the tougher skin. I bought 2 mangos for fear I wouldn't have 2 cups with just one. I ended up with about 3 1/2 cups. I added the extra mango just for the fun of it. I skipped the raisins and the lime zest.

I made the full recipe and actually ended up with a loaf of bread and 12 muffins! My husband loved it and took the bread to his rehearsal (as usual!).

The bread reminded me of a spice cake. The texture and flavor of the bread actually reminded me of a rhubarb cake that my mom made when I was little and I loved it. I'm glad I made the bread but I think I will stick with my mom's rhubarb cake (the rhubarb is easier to cut!)


This week's hostess was Kelly of Baking with the Boys. You can find the recipe on her blog.

PS. Come back next week for Chipster-Topped Brownies and I'm next week's hostess!!!!

TWD: Tiramisu Cake

I have to say that I was not excited for this week's recipe. Tiramisu is just not my dessert of choice. You must be asking yourself how anyone could not like tiramisu. Well, someone who doesn't like coffee, that's who! I love the aroma of coffee (which is good, since J loves coffee!) but I just never developed a taste for it.

I really struggled with whether or not to make this cake. I have missed the past two weeks due to life in general. So, missing this week would not have gone over very well. J and I have also been trying really hard to eat healthier and shed some unwanted pounds. I thought I had come up with a master plan to make the cake and send it away until...

I dropped an egg shell piece into the moving mixer.

It was an accident. J scolded me by saying isn't that why you are supposed to break it into a bowl first. Yes, that it true. However, I'm sure I probably haven't learned my lesson either!

In the end I made the whole cake intending to cut a little piece off for me sans the coffee. I remembered to cut the bottom corner but not the top. I give you my tiny piece of tiramisu cake without the coffee. It was good. I can honestly say I don't feel like I'm missing out by not eating anymore.


J loved it and wished it had more coffee. I just made a pot of regular coffee instead of the espresso coffee extract and liquor. I also made it in a square pan because I was too lazy to deal with 2 round cake pans.

Despite my procrastination, I am glad I made the cake!

For the recipe, please visit this week's hostess, Megan of My Baking Adventures

TWD: 15 Minute Mage: Chocolate Amaretti Torte

If you are a regular reader of this blog, get ready for some chocolate. TWD is going to be baking up some fabulous chocolate recipes this month! And I have the inside scoop to next month because I am one of the hostesses next month!

Anyway, to start off our run of chocolate recipes, we have the chocolate amaretti torte. Its a chocolaty fudge brownie but classier! The base of the cake uses the Italian almond cookie called amaretti. Open the bag and take a big sniff, the fragrance is amazing!

The cookies are finely chopped with additional almonds. Add butter, sugar, eggs and some melted chocolate and you have your cake. A chocolate glaze is added and to top it off an almond flavored whipped cream!


This cake was a huge hit with my family when I served it after our Easter dinner. It was so easy, it might become a regular tradition. And who wouldn't love being able to hop on a subway train, get off in Little Italy, pick up some amaretti cookies and head home to bake!

Thanks to Holly at Phe/MOM/enon for a great selection!

TWD: Banana Cream Pie

What do you do when you are a member of a weekly baking group, baking for only 2 people, both of whom are trying to shed a few pounds??? Portion Control!

I was really excited to make my first ever banana cream pie. My mother-in-law makes one that I absolutely love. But bananas don't age well at all. With that in mind, I knew a whole pie was out of the question. Suddenly the light went off! Tartlettes!!!

It worked out perfectly! I made a whole recipe of pie dough and froze half. Rolled the other half into balls and pressed them into my muffin pan. Half the pie recipe made 6 little tartlettes.

The cream part of this recipe was a bit of a problem for me but I made it through. I used skim milk instead of whole milk. I only made half the recipe and in the end even that was too much. We skip the whipped cream topping to save the calories too! The cream was super thick for me. After cooling it in the fridge, I put it in my mixer and slowly added more milk until it was creamy.

My husband and I both loved these!

Head over to Amy at Sing for Your Supper for the recipe.

TWD: Blueberry Crumb Cake

I'm at a bit of a loss for words tonight.

But I will say that this cake went over extremely well with 2 people who either do not like cooked fruit or do not like blueberries at all! I can say that I will be making this one again!

Our recipe this week was chosen by Sihan. A few bakers chose other fruits and/or made muffins instead of cake, check the TWD blogroll to see what the other bakers came up with!