{…you scream! | Frozen grasshoppers with mint fudge sauce}

Wait! Before you think you don’t have the right pan to make this minty, fudgey, kids-love-it treat, you can make this easy recipe in a traditional 13×9-inch cake pan.

As a matter of fact, I’ve always made my grasshopper ice cream dessert in a cake pan, but I wanted to try it in my mini cheesecake pans. Next time, I’ll go back to my 13×9 pan because the minis melted quicker and were more cumbersome to handle. Besides, my son who claims these are one of his favorite desserts, ate two anyway. 

So here’s how you make it:

{Frozen grasshoppers with mint fudge sauce}

1 box of your favorite brownie mix for 13×9-inch pan – and the ingredients to make them

1/2 gallon of chip and mint ice cream

whipped cream

Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips to sprinkle on top

Mint Fudge Sauce* 

1 cup Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips

1 cup whipping cream

1 Tablespoon butter

Bake the brownies according to package directions in a 13×9-inch pan. Set aside to cool brownies completely. (If you use mini cheesecake pans, bake the brownies approximately 15-17 minutes and then gently press down with a tart shaper.)

Meanwhile, make the fudge sauce. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine 1 cup of Andes baking chips, whipping cream and butter. Stir together until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool. The sauce will not be thick. Drizzle half of the sauce over the cooled brownies. Store the remaining sauce in the refrigerator to drizzle over the dessert when serving.

Take out the 1/2 gallon of ice cream and let soften in the refrigerator until it’s smooth enough to spread over the brownies. Using all of the ice cream, spread evenly over brownies.

Cover the cake pan and freeze for at least 4 hours. Cut into slices to serve. Top with whipped topping, drizzle with mint sauce, and sprinkle with Andes baking chips.

*Instead of making the mint fudge sauce, you can simply use hot fudge ice cream topping.

You can make this dessert fit your taste. Use a different flavor of ice cream and ice cream topping. Maybe even a simple vanilla bean with caramel topping. What kind will you make?

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{A sweet visit to downtown Sioux Falls | Queen City Bakery}

As you turn the corner of East 8th Street onto historic North Weber Avenue in downtown Sioux Falls, Queen City Bakery unassumingly welcomes you with rustic charm and a pair of the largest antique doors you may ever walk through.

The bakery and parking area are situated at the rail yard in the Eastbank district of the city. The location is fitting, considering this place does so many things right that it will stop you dead in your tracks. In addition to traditional bakery items like cookies, muffins, cakes and scones, Queen City bakes croissants, Quiche, brioche, bread pudding, savory biscuits, macaroons, pies and homemade marshmallows. I’m sure there are lots more.

Once you strong-arm your way through the front doors, you are greeted with one of two guest seating areas. The architecture embraces a charming, industrial character that exposes ceiling beams, ventilation, duct, and lighting.

When I saw the chocolate cupcakes with a sexy sheen illuminating from the icing, I knew this place wouldn’t be known just for its architecture and style. Those cupcakes were like polished diamonds in a jewelry case.

Cookie jars full of treats reminiscent of grandma’s kitchen line the counter.

The second seating area is in the loft above the bakery.

I bought a few things to try since this was my first Queen City experience. The cupcake rolled around a little by the time I got home that day, but it was still tasty – moist and chocolatey with that luxurious icing.

The Triple Chocolate Brownie was my favorite pick from the day. The menu describes it perfectly: “This dense, rich brownie is made with the highest quality French chocolate and cocoa powder, laced with chocolate chunks, and iced with a rich chocolate ganache.”  Will I buy one again? YES.

I tried three cookies – chocolate chip (soft with a generous amount of chips), monster (good, but Buttercrust Bakery in Brookings has such a fabulous monster cookie that it may have ruined any chance of me enjoying one anywhere else) , and double chocolate (thick, almost brownie-like, with high-quality chocolate – a winner) .

Not that I will ever get burned out on chocolate, but I’ve been expanding my sweet palate lately. So, I tried lemon cake. It was a refreshing flavor, and the cake was light and airy. Those of you who know me know that I am not a fan of cake because it is often dry, but this cake was good. The layers of lemon curd (or whatever the smooth goodness is) added just the right blend of lemon zing and creaminess. 

You may want to follow the bakery’s daily menu updates on their Facebook and Twitter (@queencitybakery) pages. Even if you’re like me and aren’t in the area often, it’s still fun to hear about the sweet and savory treats being pulled out of their ovens. The bakery is open every day except on Tuesdays, which means they are open weekends when many of us who don’t live in Sioux Falls have time to stop by.

If you go, let me know what you tried and what was your favorite!

Queen City Bakery

201 N. Weber Ave., Sioux Falls, SD

queencitybakery.com

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{Almost an Empty Nester | Peanut Butter Brownies for Heidi}

Today is a big day — the day the second of three T-boys graduates from high school, which means my sister, Heidi, only has one more graduation before she’s an empty nester. Although my kids are just in middle school, I can only imagine the mixed emotions you feel when your child graduates and goes off to build their own life. The excitement of the day calls for one of Heidi’s favorite sweets. Cut yourself a big square because these brownies combine the flavors of rich chocolate and smooth peanut butter in a cross between cake-like and fudgey bars.

Garritt’s party was last weekend so I baked baby cheesecakes, including his favorite Reese’s^® Peanut Butter. Today, we celebrate with him as he walks the stage and accepts his diploma. And today we celebrate with my sister who is a mom that many of us aspire to be like. (And now that I took the time to write this post this morning, I’ll be late for my lunch with her — good thing these brownies have forgiving powers!)

{Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Brownies}

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

5 (1-ounce squares) unsweetened chocolate

2 1/3 cups white sugar, divided

6 eggs, divided

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1-3/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350˚. Spray 13×9 pan or line with parchment paper or non-stick foil.

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter and chocolate together, stirring until smooth. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of sugar, 5 eggs, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed until fluffy. Slowly beat in the chocolate mixture until combined.

In a small bowl, combine the flour and salt. Gradually add it to the chocolate mixture, beating until well combined. Spread into the prepared pan and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1 egg. Beat on medium speed until creamy. Drop the peanut butter mixture onto the chocolate mixture and spread until smooth or gently marble with a knife.

Bake for 38-40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out with minimal crumbs. Cool completely before serving.

Any of you empty nesters have advice for my Heritage-Softail-riding-hardworking-sports-going sister?

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{Once a month beer chili spaghetti}

I’m not sure if I even had cumin in my spice cupboard before I found this recipe for Beer Chili Spaghetti. But now I keep an extra bottle on hand. I talk about this meal often; I seriously crave the spicy spaghetti at least once a month, so I’ve shared the recipe with a few friends. And since I still owe some people the recipe, I’m sharing the link for everyone to enjoy.

Get the recipe for Beer Chili Spaghetti from The Enchanted Cook’s blog. Please note: I do not use 1/2 cup of chili powder as listed in the recipe. I probably only use 1/4 cup at the most, maybe even less. Measure to your liking. For the beer, you can use any dark beer you like, but make sure it’s a dark beer. I also add a few tablespoons of the pasta water to the sauce.

May your bowl be as empty as mine.

 

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{So What if I’m a Rebel | Dark Cherry Chocolate Cookies}

Is there a “rule book” in food photography that says you can’t eat bites of your photo subject? Even if it is oozing warm chocolate? Because I just realized that I do it a lot, and after taking a quick surf through the cookies section on the Food Network and Betty Crocker websites, it doesn’t appear that those people are hungry when they shoot photos of their sweets. Hmm. I guess I’ll have to publish my own cookbook – with pages of scrumptious recipes and nicely lit pictures of scattered crumbs and dirty dishes. Just like at home. I’ve never been one to follow rules anyway.

The only thing I ever knew to use cherry chips for was my mom’s recipe for Cherry Bing Bars (I’ll share the recipe with you soon). So last year, I created a recipe for cupcakes using cherry flavored baking morsels (chips) and black cherry soda. (Yum!) And now I have a new cookie to share with you.

{Dark Cherry Chocolate Cookies}

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1-1/4 cups brown sugar (I like to use dark but light is fine, too.)

1 teaspoon cherry extract

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons corn syrup

2-1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup chopped cherry flavored baking morsels (I grate them finely in my cheese grater.)

1 cup 60% cacao bittersweet chips (I use Ghirardelli because they melt nicely into the cookie.)

Powdered sugar to sprinkle on cooled cookies if desired

Preheat oven to 375˚. *Or prepare dough and let sit, covered in the refrigerator.

In a small bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, soda, and salt. In a large bowl, cream together softened butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and cherry extract until creamy. Beat in eggs until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in corn syrup. Gradually beat in flour mixture until combined. Stir in the chopped cherry chips and the cacao chips.

Drop by extra-large teaspoons full onto a baking sheet. (Makes 6 cookies at a time on regular sized cookie sheets.) Bake at 375˚ for 15 minutes or until the edges are crispy and the middle is just set. Cool on pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire rack. When completely cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

*I read a cookie baking study last year but I don’t know where I saw it. Here’s what I remember though – if you mix up a batch of cookie dough and bake them right away, they will taste good. If you stick that dough, covered, in the refrigerator for a day and then bake them, they will taste even better. But if you stir up a batch of cookie dough and let it sit covered in the refrigerator for two or three days, the cookies will come out more flavorful, more delicious than ever. After about four days or so in the fridge I think, they just don’t get any better so you might as well bake at day two or three.

What recipes do you use that call for cherry chips?

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{Italian Tuxedo Triffle Makes the Cut}

It was an honor to make desserts for the East Central Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Fire & Ice formal fundraising event this year.

It was tough to make a final choice for this year’s dessert. For the 2011 event, I made Raspberry White Chocolate Truffle Baby Cheesecakes and they were a crowd favorite. This year, event organizers, Darilyn and Julie, narrowed it down to Italian Tuxedo Parfaits and Andes Mint Baby Cheesecakes. Since the night’s theme colors were an elegant black and red damask pattern, the parfaits made the cut, and we moved the Andes Mint cheesecake babies to the 2013 short list.

It all starts with good-quality chocolate and my favorite amaretto liqueur, which appears not to have started the day as a full bottle. Sampling my friends, sampling.

Instagram photo from my kitchen

A tower of butter is needed to bake enough brownies for 240 guests.

Instagram photo from my kitchen

We served the light desserts in petite wine glasses.

Instagram photo from the Old Sanctuary kitchen

The recipe in today’s post makes one large triffle bowl full of deliciousness. Of course, it’s always fun to serve them as individual triffles.

(A special thank you to Mike, the Brookings Hy-Vee Produce Manager, who spent part of the morning picking out some of the best strawberries with me! …and for making sure I had enough Ghirardelli white chocolate.)

{Italian Tuxedo Triffle}

For the rich amaretto brownies:

1- 1/2 cups butter, melted

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 cups sugar

4 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon almond extract or bakery emulsion

4 Tablespoons Italian amaretto liqueur (I use Disaronno)

1 cup 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate,  finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350˚. Grease 9×13-inch cake pan or line with parchment paper (This is the first time I used Reynolds Wrap^® Pan Lining Paper and I will definitely use it again.)

In a medium bowl, stir together melted butter and cocoa. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar and eggs on medium speed until fluffy, about five minutes. Slowly beat in the cocoa and butter mixture. Add flour, salt, almond extract and amaretto liqueur; beat just until combined. Spread half of the brownie mixture in the pan. Sprinkle with finely chopped chocolate. Carefully spread the remaining brownie batter over the chocolate all the way to the edges. Bake for 35-37 minutes. Cool completely. Cut into bite-size pieces. 

For the silky white cream:

4 ounces white chocolate

4 Tablespoons milk

2 (8-ounces each) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract or bakery emulsion

2 cups whipped topping, thawed

2 pounds fresh strawberries

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt white chocolate and milk. Stir until melted. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Beat in powdered sugar and almond extract. Slowly stir in melted white chocolate. Gently fold in whipped cream.

Slice most of the strawberries into bite-size pieces. You’ll want to save some whole strawberries for garnish on top. 

In a large triffle bowl, layer brownies, cream and strawberries. Repeat layers until all the ingredients are gone. Refrigerate 3 hours before serving. Can be made one day ahead.

If you make this, snap a photo and share it with me on Twitter or Instagram @RandomSweets. They’ll all look so pretty!

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