I love having a few pantry-staple recipes on hand for an impromptu dessert. Nothing is as easy and delicious than these peanut butter cookies that require only three ingredients. The next time you want to bake something yummy, just go to your pantry and whip up the easiest cookies ever with ingredients you already have to create a dessert that tastes like perfection.

Ingredients

1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheet.

3. Using the back of a fork, make a crisscross pattern on dough. Bake for 13 minutes.

Brownies are my favorite go-to last minute dessert. They’re easy, everyone likes them, and they are delicious. It’s hard to improve on the original warm, chewy goodness of a classic chocolate brownie, but this rocky road version can definitely compete. Marshmallows and chocolate chips are added to create a sinful treat. Serve them warm with vanilla ice cream and these rocky road brownies will become your go-to dessert favorite.

Ingredients

1 1/2 sticks butter. softened
1 1/2 c sugar
4 eggs
1 c flour
1/4 c cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 c chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Combine butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs.

3. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt and slowly add to the butter mixture.

4. Fold in marshmallows and chocolate chips.

5. Spread in a 13×9 baking dish and bake for 35 – 40 minutes, or until the center is set.

6. Let cool before cutting into bars.

Hello, everyone! It’s time to choose the winner of the Hot Blondies Bakery Giveaway.

But before we do that, I’d like to thank our sponsors @ Hot Blondies Bakery, for their generosity. I’d also like to thank all our readers who took the time to submit their entries. I wish I had a prize for each of you. :(

And the winner is entry no:

60 !!

Congratulations, Nadine L.!! You’ll receive an e-mail from us shortly and have two days to respond or other name will be chosen.

When decorating cupcakes, the roundness of these sweet treats allows you to take full advantage of their versatile shape. With a few embellishments, colorful frostings, decorative icing, and a little bit of imagination, you too can produce creative cupcakes for special occasions. A couple of ideas include:

Engagement Cupcakes

Position a sparkling wedding ring party favor in the center of frosted cupcakes made for an engagement party. Surround the ring with edible silver balls. Don’t forget to leave a note warning partygoers that the cupcakes are outfitted with inedible decorations.

Birthday Cupcakes

Dazzle your kids with cupcakes made to resemble a hamburger. Simply cut a vanilla cupcake in half and insert a round slice of chocolate or Devil’s Food cupcake. Use red, yellow, and green icing to create mustard, ketchup, and pickles. For adult cupcakes, use fondant or a rainbow of icings to decorate cupcakes to resemble pool balls for the fanatic in your life.

Easter Cupcakes

Ambitious cupcake decorators may transform their treats into the iconic Easter basket. First, tint your frosting a bright color (preferably green) and decorate with small candies, such as M&Ms or jellybeans. Bend a licorice stick into an arch. Insert the ends into the cupcake to create the handles of a basket. Children will surely get a kick out of Easter cupcakes with a marshmallow Peep sitting on top of the frosting. During the holidays, Peeps come in various shades of blue, yellow, lavender, and pink.

Valentine’s Day Cupcakes

Valentine’s Day is probably one of the easiest special occasions for cupcake decorating. For example, use conservation hearts to resemble balloons held together by strings made out of chocolate icing. There are plenty of materials to work with for Valentine’s Day, including red and white sprinkles, berries,  cinnamon candies, Sweet-tarts, red and white jellybeans, and red gumdrops. Today, you can even purchase non-stick cupcake pans in the shape of hearts. Try using cupcake stencils to apply a powdered sugar heart onto an unfrosted cupcake to cut down on calories.

Halloween Cupcakes

Decorative cupcakes make perfect treats for a Halloween party. From black cats and witches to spiders, there are many Halloween symbols and themes to choose for your sweet treats. Bewitch your kiddies with the following cupcake trick: Frost your cupcake with chocolate frosting. Take Nutter Butter cookie and cover in vanilla frosting. Position the cookie in the middle of the cupcake. Use brown icing to draw on eyes and mouth to create a spooky ghost cupcake.

Nuts play an important role in the creation of delicious sweet treats – from the walnuts that add extra ‘ummph’ to chocolate chip cookies to brownies with hidden pecans. From Macadamia Nut Cookies to Almond Paste Cake, there are thousands of dessert recipes that incorporate nuts. When you’re looking for ideas on how to make your own nutty desserts, consider the following suggestions:

Pecans

Many of us already know that the sweet gooeyness of pecan pie is a staple dessert during the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sometimes pecans are overlooked for their versatility in dessert making. However, the nut has found its way into a multitude of creative dessert recipes, especially in Southern baking. A couple of recipes include homemade caramel pecan ice cream, praline cheesecake, coconut pecan frosting, and pecan shortbread cookies. When looking to spice up a regular pecan pie recipe, try experimenting with chocolate and bourbon whiskey.

Walnuts

Walnuts can elevate the taste of cookies and brownies, but they also create delicious dessert combinations when paired with fruit. For example, you will find plenty of recipes that incorporate baked apples and walnuts. Some approaches may include dried fruits (like cranberries), while others may insert unsweetened shredded coconut. Nutmeg and cinnamon are popular spices added to the mix. When hot, serve baked apples with vanilla ice cream. In the morning, a cold baked apple makes a tasty breakfast when topped with vanilla yogurt.

Almonds

When creating desserts with almonds, you will find almond paste a delightful ingredient. For quicker results, you can purchase your paste from a store, while the more ambitious baker may prefer to create their own at home. Ground almonds and sugar are the two most significant ingredients in almond paste. A typical recipe may contain salt, almond extract, confectioner’s sugar, cooking oil, heavy cream, blanched almonds, and egg whites.

When baking, use almond paste to fill pastries (such as almond croissants) or add to homemade chocolate recipes. Some people also use the paste as a substitute for marzipan. In China, almond paste is used to create ‘sweetheart cakes,’ which also contain winter melon.

Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts make a flavorful filling for wafer cookies and enhance the taste of many dessert coffee recipes. To explore an uncommon hazelnut dessert, consider making a pudding out of the nuts. Start by mincing ½ pound of hazelnuts until they are the consistency of a powder. Heat 1 cup of cream until it reaches the point just before boiling. Add a bit of vanilla extract to flavor. Allow the cream to cool. Beat 8 ounces of unsalted butter until the mixture become pale and creamy. Stir in the hazelnuts, 8 ounces of powdered sugar, and 1 cup of cream. Line a mold with ladyfingers and add the hazelnut pudding. Chill well.

April 23-25, 2010 

photo courtesy of bitzcelt

The festival will be held at Lakeside Park at 631 Sycamore St. in downtown Celebration. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, April 24; noon to 5 p.m., Sunday, April 25. Admission to the festival is free, with tickets for the Never-Ending Pie Buffet priced at ($10 adults, $5 ages 65 and up, and $5 ages 6-12.)

A national pastime will attract national attention as contestants from across North America sift through their most treasured recipes in hope of finding one that leads to an award-winning pie. Perhaps it’s a family favorite that’s won praise for generations or a new creation that’s pleased a friend, but dedicated pie makers — from contestants with decades of blue ribbons to a new generation who are warmed up and ready to enter the competition — will be rolling out fresh dough and carefully measuring ingredients as they prepare for the three-day APC/ Crisco® 2010 National Pie Championships® April 23-25.

The competition heats up at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate as Commercial, Professional, Amateur and Junior Chef pie makers test their tasty creations in a variety of categories.   Last year, more than 170 judges graded pies created by 138 bakers who entered 465 commercial, 130 professional and 266 amateur pies.   Emile Henry USA, makers of the finest quality ceramic bake ware and gourmet cooking products, has returned for 2010 as the “Official Pie Dish” of the National Pie Championships.   Each junior, amateur and professional competitor receives an Emile Henry ceramic pie dish, valued at $45 each.   For 2010, Best of Show winners in the amateur and professional divisions will each win $5,000, a new Sears Kenmore range and a Crisco® gift basket, while the top winner in the Junior Chef division receive a $2000 Crisco college scholarship and a Crisco® gift basket.  First place ribbons and bragging rights will be awarded to Commercial Division winners.

To enter, APC members pay $15 per pie entry for amateurs and $20 per pie entry for professionals.  Non-members pay $35 per pie entry for either category.  Junior entries are free.

This year’s contestants will whip, puree and roll their way to victory in a wide range of categories: Amateurs are judged in 15 categories including Apple, Citrus, Crisco® Classic Cherry, Crisco® Classic Chocolate, Cream, Cream Cheese, Custard, Fruit/Berry, Nut, Peanut Butter, Pumpkin, Open, Raisin, sponsored by the California Raisin Marketing Board, Splenda, and Sweet Potato. First place winners in each category receive $200 cash and a Crisco® gift basket, second place winners receive $150 cash and third place winners take home $100 cash.

Professional bakers enter pies in nine categories: Apple, Citrus, Crisco® Classic Chocolate, Crisco® Classic Cherry, Fruit/Berry, Cream, Nut and Open and new for the 2010 competition — Raisin, sponsored by the California Raisin Marketing Board.  First place winners in each category receive $200 cash and a Crisco gift basket.

Junior Chefs who are in high school and between the ages 14 to 17 can test their pie-making skills with entries in Apple, Cream, Fruit/Berry or Open categories.  Three first place winners will receive a $100 gift certificate to Emile Henry USA, a $100 gift certificate to Cuisipro USA, a source for popular professional chef tools, as well as a Crisco® gift basket.

Commercial bakers competed in categories including Apple, Blueberry, Fruit/Berry, Open Cream, Citrus, Open, Nut and Chocolate, and Raisin, sponsored by the California Raisin Marketing Board.

The APC is now accepting registrations for the upcoming championships. Participants are encouraged to join the American Pie Council prior to registration in order to receive discounted entry fees.

Ten minutes from Celebration, the host hotel Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate is offering a special $129 per night room rate for those attending or participating in the pie championship or pie festival. To book the American Pie Council special rate, call 800-843-6664 and identify yourself as associated with the APC.  For more information, visit the Front Porch Celebration Community Web Site at www.celebration.fl.us; or the American Pie Council®, www.piecouncil.org

Crisco®  is a registered trademark of The J. M. Smucker Company.  For more information, visit www.crisco.com.

The American Pie Council® is the only organization committed to maintaining America’s pie heritage, passing on the tradition of pie-making and promoting America’s love affair with pie. The APC offers personal, professional and commercial memberships. For more information, please visit www.piecouncil.org.