Cake Balls

These are my new favorite dessert for entertaining because:

1. They are bite-sized. 
2. They are easy to make.
3. They are easy to make in obscenely large quantities. 
4. They are super cute. 
5. You can mix and match about a million flavor/color combinations. 
6. They last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 
7. They freeze well.
8. You can make ball jokes the entire time you are handling and eating them. Heh heh...

What else could you possibly ask for?

Oh... you're asking for St. Patrick's Day themed cake balls?

YOU GOT IT!

But also make these for every holiday or get together that you ever have. Ever. I promise that they'll be a total hit!

Cake Balls (makes 40-50 balls)

• Box of cake mix + ingredients for baking (I used white cake with green food coloring)
• 1 – 1 ½ cans of frosting (I used vanilla)
• 1 ½ bags of candy melts (I used white)
• About 3 Tbsp Crisco

1.       Bake the cake in a 9 x 13 pan according to the directions on the box.

2.       Allow the cake to cool completely (it can be a tiny bit warm to help the frosting melt). Crumble into a bowl.

3.       Mix in the frosting until you have an even mixture.

4.       Form the mixture into small balls (about 1 ½ tablespoons) and place them on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.  Put in the freezer for about a half hour or until firm.

5.       While the balls are in the freezer, melt the candy melts in a double boiler or fondue pot. Add Crisco in order to thin the mixture.

6.       Take the cake balls out of the freezer.  Poke each ball with a toothpick and dip into the candy melts.  You may need to use a small spatula to cover the top. Place the candy-coated ball back onto the wax paper. Apply sprinkles (if desired) immediately so they stick. Continue this process with the rest of the balls.

7.       Let the candy coating cool completely. Package in an airtight container. These will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks!

rolling some balls

dipping some balls

look at these perfect balls!

Andes Cupcakes

 Another green-ish dessert for St. Patrick's Day!  I'm thinking of starting an official petition to make St. Patrick's Day a "holiday season" like Christmas. This could be huge.

Andes mints make me think of my great-grandfather. He always had them on his coffee table in his living room. I spent countless days munching on Andes, eating corn chowder, and sipping ginger beer on his front porch.

So these cupcakes are dedicated to him.  Love you and miss you Curt :)

In general, I'm not a huge fan of mint in my desserts. It belongs in toothpaste and gum. It does not belong in my desserts messing with my chocolate. I think that's because the mint in candy, like York Patties or Junior Mints, is just way too strong. Andes is the only candy that I think got it right. Also, it's the one that's green rather than white. Green mint desserts are the only ones that are acceptable. Period.

However, I realize that I'm in the minority here. My whole family loves mint flavored desserts. Especially mint chocolate chip ice cream (the green kind... obviously). Because it's such a popular flavor combination, I knew that I needed to be able to make some minty recipes for them. And I wanted to provide something delicious for any mint-lovers who read my blog :)

The mint in this recipe isn't too overpowering because it is in the frosting and ganache but not in the cake.  The cream cheese and butter in the frosting really mutes the mint flavor so it is refreshing but not overpowering.

If you like mint, you'll probably love these. Plus, look how pretty they are! If you want more of a green color, put green food coloring in the frosting. I just really wanted to use a lot of green sprinkles!

Andes Cupcakes (24 cupcakes) adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Cupcakes: 

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Chocolate Mint Filling:

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar

Mint Buttercream:

• 1 cup (2 sticks, 16 tablespoons) butter, softened to room temperature
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 32 ounces powdered sugar (about 7 cups)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoons peppermint extract
• 24 Andes mints for garnish

1.       For the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin cups with paper baking cups. In a large bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Using a handheld electric mixer or an electric stand mixer, beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water. The batter will be VERY thin (Don't fret, it works out fine somehow). Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for 18-20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack, after removing them from the muffin tin.

2.       For the mint filling: While the cupcakes are baking, place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a small microwave-safe bowl and heat for 1 minute at 50% power. Stir. Repeat the process until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract and powdered sugar, whisking until smooth. Let the mixture cool to room temperature (but don’t let it get too stiff) and pour it into a piping bag.

3.       When the cupcakes are cool, insert the tip of the piping bag into the center of the cupcake and press gently to fill the middle of the cupcake with the mint ganache.

4.       For the frosting, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add the heavy cream and peppermint and vanilla extracts. Beat until light and fluffy.

5.      Frost the cooled, filled cupcakes. Garnish with an unwrapped Andes mint. 

see how thin the batter is? strange...

baked cupcakes

ganache

filling the cupcakes with ganache

me trying to be a piping pro.

frosted!

final product :)

 

Boozy Bailey's Brownies

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

And my gift to you on this lovely Irish day is these Boozy Bailey's Brownies!

how festive and delicious is that?!?!

I made these with my friend Michelle. We had a pre-St. Patrick's Day bake and beverage get-together a couple weekends ago.

going back to my bartending days

white russians --> green irishmen?

Happy Pre-Patty's Day!

The brownies have a hard crusty exterior and a fudgy center.  The frosting is light and creamy.

Chocolatey. Sugary. Boozy.  Need I say more to convince you to make these?

Now I'm off to drink green beverages with my mom and friends all day! I'll also be wearing a tiara and a shirt that says "Kiss me, I'm drunk". God, I love being young and Irish on March 17th!

Boozy Bailey’s Brownies (adapted from How Sweet It Is)

For the brownies

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 2-3 squares baking chocolate
• 2 cups sugar
•  2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream

For the buttercream

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 6 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish cream

1.       Preheat oven to 350.

2.       Melt butter and baking sqaures in a microwave safe bowl. In the mixing bowl, cream melted butter and chocolate mixture. Add in sugar and vanilla and beat until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add in eggs, beating one at a time. Add flour and stir just until combined. Stir in Bailey’s.

3.       Pour into greased 9 x 13 baking dish (I used a 10 x 10 square cake pan).  Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until just barely done.

4.       For the frosting: In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Add the Bailey's one tablespoon at a time. Beat until smooth and creamy. 

5.       Wait until the brownies are fully cooled and frost. These are the kind of brownies that have a hard top and a fudgy middle so don’t worry if the top of your brownies are pretty hard.

I want to drink the Bailey's from the bottle and eat the frosting with a shovel. Not appropriate?

See what I mean about the hard exterior and the fudgy center?

This is basically like three shots.

White Chocolate Bailey's Mousse Pie with Bailey's Whipped Cream

Happy pi(e) day!

Get it? Because it's March 14th. 3.14.

It's also just a really good excuse to make a pie.

And keeping with the St. Patrick's Day theme, I decided to make a pie with Bailey's. I chose this one because I like that it's made with white chocolate. Typically desserts that incorporate Bailey's have a milk or dark chocolate base.

Warning: This pie is very boozy. This is a good thing. It has a generous portion of Bailey's in the mousse and in the whipped cream. I actually felt a little tipsy after eating a piece. Granted it was a gigantic piece with enough whipped cream for a whole pie.  Accompanied by some Bailey's on the rocks. It was glorious.

This pie is light and fluffy and absolutely delicious. It's a little tricky to dish out because it is so soft so, after letting it chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, I would recommend popping it in the freezer for about an hour prior to cutting and serving. You can either refrigerate or freeze the leftovers. In the refrigerator, it will only last a day or two because the mousse and whipped cream will begin to breakdown and the crust will start to get soggy (though not even that would stop me from devouring it). It holds up wonderfully in the freezer. You can either thaw it out for about a half hour in the refrigerator or enjoy it frozen!

Not in the mood for pie?  That's fine! Serve the mousse in cup topped with a huge dollop of the whipped cream. 

God, this is a wonderful and versatile. And sugary and alcoholic. And Irish. I'm in love.

Bailey’s Mousse Pie with Bailey’s Whipped Cream

Bailey’s Mousse Pie (from Saving Room for Dessert)

• Graham cracker pie crust (or you could make your own but I was feeling lazy)
• 1 1/3 cups white chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
• 1/2 cup egg whites (about 4 eggs)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Bailey’s Whipped Cream (adapted from How Sweet It Is)

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
•  1/4 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream
• 1-2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1.  Melt chocolate and Bailey's in a metal bowl over hot water.  Make sure no water touches the chocolate or it will seize up.  Use a spatula to blend well and keep from burning.  Remove from heat.

2.  Using a mixer, whip egg whites until soft peaks form.  Add sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and beat until stiff peaks hold their shape.   Set aside.

3.  Whip 1 cup heavy cream until stiff.

4.  Gently fold egg and whipped cream together.

5.  With a large spatula, gently fold white chocolate mixture into egg white mixture.  Do not over mix. However, it will take some time because white chocolate mixture is very thick in comparison to the egg/whipped cream mixture.

6.  Spoon into cooled pie crust and chill in the freezer while preparing the whipped cream topping.

7.  For the whipped cream:  In the bowl, add cream, vanilla and Baileys. Mix with an electric mixer (or in your stand mixer). Then add sugar and mix a little more.

8.  Spread the whipped cream over the mousse and chill for another four hours. I would suggest putting it in the freezer for about an hour before cutting and serving so that it holds its shape.

melting the chocolate and bailey's in my really shady makeshift double boiler

melted white chocolate and bailey's

whipped egg whites and sugar

whipped heavy cream

the mousse pie without whipped cream

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S PI(E) DAY! :)

I didn't let it chill for long enough. I couldn't control myself.

a frozen piece of pie. much prettier.

Light Shepherd's Pie

I know that shepherd's pie is a really traditional Irish dish but I have never eaten it.

Here's why:

Up until very recently, I've had a huge issue with my food touching. I used to use separated plates or only put one item on my plate at a time so nothing would touch. I don't know what my issue was but I could not mix my food.

Then I realized how silly this was. Some of my favorite foods are a big mixture of ingredients. Pasta dishes. Pizza. Burritos. Ice cream sundaes with every topping possible.

Now I mix my food all the time. Problem solved by allowing the logical part of my brain rationalize the situation to the illogical OCD part of my brain.

Yes, the sides of my brain interact. So what?

 Anyway, this shepard's pie is wonderful! It has the taste of comfort food but doesn't feel as heavy or rich. I love that it's jam packed with veggies in the filling and in the cauliflower puree topping, which I substituted for mashed potatoes.

Cauliflower puree is my new "go to" side. It's light and super fluffy. I never thought I'd say that because I am a huge carb lover. But delicious substitutions like spaghetti squash and cauliflower having me singing a different tune. They taste similar to the real deal and I can eat a ton without feeling sick and guilty. What's better than that?

If you're not down with cauliflower a) stop being a baby and just try it, you might love it  OR b) replace the cauliflower with potatoes.

I took this recipe from Skinnytaste, one of my favorite food blogs. Gina does a great job of lightening up recipes and still making them taste great! The changes I made were to substitute pureed cauliflower for mashed potatoes, increase the amount of vegetables, use soy sauce instead of Worcestershire sauce (I hate that stuff) and add some cheese on top.

You should make this if you're trying channel your Irish roots (or create them if they don't exist) and save calories for drinking copious amounts of Bailey's Irish Cream and Guinness :)

Shepherd’s Pie (6 servings – 291 cals) from skinnytaste
Cauliflower Puree:

• 1 medium head cauliflower, cut up into florets
• 4 cloves crushed garlic
• 1/3 cup fat free sour cream
• 2-3 tablespoons of milk (until desired consistency)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp light butter 

Filling:

• 1 lb 95% lean ground beef
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 8 oz mushrooms, diced
• 10 oz frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, peas, green beans, baby lima beans)
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup fat free beef broth
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp freshly chopped thyme leaves
• salt and pepper
• 8 oz bag of shredded reduced fat cheddar

1.  Steam or boil cauliflower and garlic until soft. Drain, add sour cream, light butter, salt, pepper and purée with a hand blender (or regular blender – if using a regular blender, you may need more milk in order to get the mixture going).
2.  Preheat oven to 400°.
3.  In a large saute pan brown meat. Season with salt and pepper. When cooked, set aside on a plate. Discard any fat in the pan, add oil, onion and garlic and sauté on medium heat about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and celery and sauté another 3-4 minutes. Add flour, salt and pepper and mix well. Add frozen vegetables, beef broth, tomato paste, soy sauce, thyme, chopped meat and mix well. Simmer on low for about 5-10 minutes.
4.  Spread the meat mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish. Top with cauliflower puree. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool 10-15 minutes before serving.

before the oven

baked

And that's how the Irish do savory pie :)