INGREDIENTS

1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies
1 cup fluffy white frosting (from 16 oz container)
Yellow gel food color
18 semisweet chocolate chips, cut in half
Yellow candy-coated licorice
Orange candy slices

DIRECTIONS

1.Heat oven to 350° F. Cut dough into 1/2-inch slices. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

2.Bake 10 to 12 minutes or unitl edges are light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove to cooling rack. Cool completely.

3.In medium bowl, stir frosting and 2 to 3 drops gel food color until well blended. Frost cookies.

4.Decorate cookies using chocolate chip halves for eyes, yellow candy-coated licorice for feathers and pieces of orange candy slices for beak and feet.

photo and recipe courtesy of Pillsbury.com

Looking for a slice of something refreshing to serve this summer? Why not put a twist on the official Florida state pie – or rather a thick rich layer of meringue topping? Key lime meringue pie is a positively divine deviation from its popular sister recipe, Lemon Meringue, and just as kitchen friendly to make!

To begin with, you will require one ready made 9-inch pie crust (available at any quality grocery store and foolproof!) Often times these types of pie crusts are sold in pairs, so there’s twice as much pie to go around.  What’s not to love about that?

Courtesy of leeno

For the Key-Lime Curd:

4 key limes, finely grated
1/3 cup squeezed key lime juice
½ cup sugar
3 eggs
8 tablespoons butter (unsalted is best)
1 cup heavy cream
A pinch of salt

Courtesy of Bright Star

For the Meringue:

4 separated egg whites
¼ cup sugar (granulated)
1 tsp vanilla extract

The making of this pie is as easy as one, two, three!  Literally! There are three distinct phases when it comes to creating this tasteful tart; crust, filling, and meringue.

But don’t let that deter you!  With a little bit of planning pulsing through your kitchen beat, assembly is a breeze and this oh-so good dessert will be whisked up in a matter of moments.

How to Put it All Together:

1. Defrost the pie crust and poke holes all over it, then pre-bake (if required). Remove from oven and set aside to allow cooling.
2. Whisk together the key lime zest, juice, sugar, eggs and salt in a heatproof bowl. Place over top a pan of boiling water and stir non-stop for about 15 minutes until it thickens
3. Remove from heat and whisk butter into the mixture.
4. Strain curd using a sieve. Next cover the curd with plastic wrap and place in fridge to cool for about 30 minutes.
5. Whip cream into firm peaks and fold into the now chilled curd mixture.
6. Pour entire mixture into the cooled pie crust and preheat your oven to 375F.

Courtesy of linda boucher

…and to top it off…with meringue….
7.  Use an electric mixer to whisk egg whites together, gradually increasing speed and the measured sugar.

8.  Add vanilla extract and continue mixing until meringue is quite thick and stiff.

9.  Spread meringue over the curd, making sure to create swirls with a fork or handy spatula.

10. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pie in the over half way through the baking time (this ensures an even gold ‘toasting’ effect all over.)

Allow time to cool, then dig in! There is really only one word that can truly be used to describe the key lime meringue pie – sublime!

Courtesy of cherrylet

The giving and receiving of flowers is a time honoured tradition cultivated from a rich history. Be it a single delicate stem or an entire bouquet, the practice of giving flowers has been used to express love, attraction, condolences, and celebration.

But what about those who suffer from allergies? Or perhaps those who are against the idea of flower giving altogether, because the beautiful blossoms inevitable wither away into nothing? Well, look no further, Edible Arrangements (R) are officially in your midst!

Although these edible arrangements also do not last forever, they do offer some sweet rewards. Fashioned out of an array of colourful fruit, and shaped like daisies, stars and tulips, a bouquet of the edible variety is a refreshing way to liven up any event (and guaranteed to make your bouquet stand out from the rest.)

If fruit isn’t really your ideal taste sensation, there are always the highly regarded chocolate alternatives. Check out the lavish “The Sweet Garden” for all your chocolate flower hopes and dreams.

Courtesy of Oh Nuts

White lilies, peach kissed daisies, ravishing red roses, tulips, daffodils, Black Eyed Susan’s, you name it, they have it in a scrumptious chocolaty form, prettily wrapped and ready to be shipped.

You can also make your own chocolate arrangement. Simply buy some Mint Meltaways (R), a medium Styrofoam ball, a fancy glass and a box of pins. Push a pin through the top of the Mint Meltaway (R) wrapper, then stick into the Styrofoam ball. Repeat until the entire ball is covered, place in the glass so that it is free-standing, and voila! You’re very own inexpensive, yet oh-so good, chocolate edible arrangement. What could be easier? What could be better?

Thank you all for participating to our giveaway. And a big THANK YOU to our sponsor, CAROUSEL CAKES, who made it possible!

The winner is comment no:

Here are your random numbers:

136

Timestamp: 2010-02-18 20:36:10 UTC

Congratulations, Carolyn G! You’ll receive an e-mail from us and have 2 days to respond or other name will be chosen.

Stay tuned for our next giveaway! On Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010!

For chocolate lovers, you can never have too many options in the sweet treat department. When it comes to chocolate covered creations, strawberries are probably one of the first items that come to mind, right along with nuts and pretzels. While small chocolate covered pretzels make a tasty treat, keep in mind that chocolate dipped pretzel rods make exquisite gifts. Covered in chopped nuts, caramel, sprinkles, and other embellishments, this sweet indulgence illustrates the versatility of chocolaty treats. Other ideas include:

Candy Apples

From light drizzles of milk, dark or white to a full blanket of velvety chocolate, caramel isn’t the only topping used to completely cover an apple. Often times, chocolate-dipped apples are decorated with extra trimmings, such as cookie crunch, chocolate chips, marshmallows, M&Ms, or sprinkles.

Fruit

Whether fresh or dried, chocolate covered or dipped fruit go beyond Valentine’s Day strawberries or your typical box of Raisinettes. There is no end to the fruity sweet treats that take advantage of a chocolate makeover. Take a walk on the wild side and sample berries, figs, cherries, dried apricots, and dried apple rings drenched in chocolate.

Fortune Cookies

You’ll certainly feel lucky when you indulge in a chocolate dipped fortune cookie. This small treat is often dressed with extra toppings, such as mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts (like almonds and peanuts).

Potato Chips

Chocolate covered potato chips represent the ultimate union between salty and sweet. When making at home, choose potato chips with ridges because they keep their shape and crispiness despite coming in contact with heated chocolate. Feeling adventurous? Decorate with toffee bits or crushed hazelnuts.

Cookies and Brownies

A drizzle of chocolate or generous coat of the sweet stuff transforms a simple oatmeal cookie or walnut brownie into an addicting treat. Generally, brownies and cookies are halfway dipped in chocolate to avoid an overload of sweetness. One of the most sought-after of chocolate covered cookies is the Oreo, which comes in milk and white chocolate varieties.

Spoons

Add a bit of pizzazz to hot chocolate or coffee with a chocolate dipped spoon. To create your own at home, simply dip a plastic spoon in melted semi-sweet or white baking chips. Cool on a sheet of wax paper before placing in the freezer.

Other chocolate covered treats to consider include:

• Rice Krispie Treats
• Cheesecake Bites
• Shortbread
• Marshmallows
• Mints
• Cubes of Pound Cake
• Bananas

photo courtesy of purrfectly_kittenish

There is very little present in the foodie world more adorable than the sassy cupcake, unless of course you consider the sassy mini-cupcake. And while it is typically frowned upon for a person to devour a entire tray of neatly decorated regular cupcakes, the same cannot be said for the miniaturized version. In fact due to its bite-sized nature, people are often encouraged to eat more mini-cupcakes at an event without judgment or hassle, perhaps making mini-cupcakes one of the greatest culinary innovations of all time.

Although significantly smaller, mini-cupcakes retain an enormous amount of creative potential. You can dress up a mini-cupcake for any occasion, and they are especially well suited for children’s parties, as they are pretty enough to capture attention, yet small enough to eat with minimal mess.

But how does one make a mini-cupcake? There are several pans available on the kitchen market, designed specifically for baking mini-cupcakes, which are simply filled and throw in the oven to bake as per usual. However, if kitchen gadgets are more your style, you could invest in a Mini-Cupcake Maker, retailing for approximately $32.99. This non-stick, easy to use appliance snaps shut to bake and produces seven mini-cupcakes per baking session – ideal for a small child’s birthday party or catered affair.

photo courtesy of chriki24

You can dress up mini-cupcakes as well, by simply using some tailored to size cupcake-skirts (also known as mini-cupcake liners.) Bold or pastel colours, smiley faces, dinosaurs, stars, and many more prints are available on mini-cupcake skirts. And of course, mini-cakes are fair game for whatever impressive icing you can paint them with.

So there you have it. Sassy small bite-sized cupcakes, perfect for sweet amuse-bouches that are sure to pack a punch at your next soirée.

As you know, a few days ago we published Valentine’s Day Cupcake Guide – Part 1. Now, it’s time for Part 2! Hope you like our choices!

Tart Bakery

Tart Bakery, located in Dallas, Texas was founded in November, 2004 by Executive Pastry Chef Kristen Massad, who trained at the French Culinary Institute of New York.

Kristen felt that Dallas could use a vintage bakery (everything is made completely from scratch with all-natural ingredients) with a modern touch.

Kristen’s business has grown significantly and Tart now ships goodies across the country.

Website: tartbakerydallas.com

Kara’s Cupcakes

Kara’s Cupcakes is the vision of executive pastry chef, Kara Lind.

For Valentine’s Day, Kara’s Cupcakes is offering the “Sweet Package”: a selection of four “lovely” cupcakes that will make you swoon. Presented in a custom white box adorned with Kara’s Cupcakes signature wrapping. The perfect gift for your sweetie!

Price: $15 per box

Location: Kara’s Cupcakes has five locations around the San Francisco Bay Area. More info on their website at karascupcakes.com

Dean & DeLuca

 Dean & DeLuca will be featuring the following cupcake treats for Valentine’s Day:

Melt My Heart Cupcakes: These cupcakes are filled with chewy chocolate caramel, which is sublime when gently warmed. The cupcakes are made from scratch in small batches. Made exclusively for Dean & DeLuca by Two Hearts Bakery in San Francisco. Nine cupcakes $55

Valentine Mini Cupcake Chocolates (in the image): Knipschildt Chocolatier in New York City created these chocolate confections to look just like miniature cupcakes. Three different ganache fillings: Champagne, strawberry, and passion fruit. Set of 9 $45

Website: www.deandeluca.com.

Cupcakes by Carousel

Cupcakes by Carousel is a new shop in Ridgewood, NJ.

Their Red Velvet is Oprah’s favorite in a cupcake form. They donate $1.00 per cupcake and red velvet cake with heart to the american heart association in the month of February.

Their Red Velvet cupcakes have cream cheese icing and sugar heart; their Chocolate and Vanilla cupcakes are decorated with rich buttercream topped with valentine picks or sugar hearts.

Price: $29.00 per dozen

Website: www.cupcakesbycarousel.com

Cakes for Occasions

Cakes for Occasions specializes in creating the finest gourmet cakes, cupcakes and sinfully delicious pastries. Owner Kelly Delaney and her creations have been featured in a wide range of media, including NBC’s Today Show and FOX25 Morning News in Boston.

Cakes for Occasions just came out with a heart-shaped box filled with a bakers dozen (13) mini cupcakes. The assortment of chocolate, vanilla, and red velvet cupcakes are all coated with chocolate. The delectable treats are packaged in a heart-shaped box and sell for $17.

Location: Danvers, Massachusetts. Website: www.cakes4occasions.com

The American Pie Council (APC) is excited to roll out National Pie Day this January 23.

photo courtesy of ralph and jenny

This year, the APC is encouraging pie lovers to show their “pie-triotism” by sharing a pie with a hero in their life. Whether it’s baking or buying a pie for a member of the military or their family, the local fireman, teacher or your parent, the gift of pie is a sincere gesture of kindness. APC members are also offering coupons on to make buying or making a pie more affordable, as well as offering their own special pie day activities. For details, go to www.piecouncil.org or friend them on Facebook.

The act of sharing America’s quintessential dessert brings with it an extraordinary heritage. In many homes family recipes go back for decades and, quite often, special kitchen utensils have been passed down over generations. As with family reunions and special get-togethers, what takes place in the kitchen also brings families together as children and parents and husbands and wives experience the pleasure of working together and creating something special for someone else.

This year’s championships are April 23-25 at the Omni Championsgate Hotel in Celebration, Fla. Commercial, Professional, Amateur and Junior Chef pie makers will compete throughout the weekend. The Great American Pie Festival sponsored by Crisco® is held in conjunction with the championships, April 24 and 25 at Lakeside Park in Celebration and is free and open to the public.

This Valentine’s Day, we decided to feature some of the most beautiful cupcakes out there. The following are just a few suggestions (in random order) we have received from our readers. If you own a bakery shop or sell cupcakes online and have gorgeous Valentine’s Day cupcakes, don’t hesitate to contact us! If we like your “artwork”, we might feature you, too! Check out Part 2!

Sweet and Saucy Shop

Sweet & Saucy Shop specializes in custom desserts that taste as good as they look.

Melody Brandon, Owner and head Pastry Chef, realized her passion for desserts and stopped her pursuit of a career as a teacher and jumped head first into the world of butter, sugar, and flour! She headed to pastry school and graduated from the Le Cordon Bleu program at the California School of Culinary Arts as a Pastry Chef. She started Sweet & Saucy Shop with the desire to create gorgeous, delicious, modern looking desserts.

Price: $3.oo – $3.25 each. Cupcake with custom fondant accents range in price from $3.50-$7.00 each. Their mini cupcakes: $1.50 – $2.00

Location: Long Beach, California or Sweetandsaucyshop.com.

Cupcake

Cupcake’s cupcakes will whisk you away to your childhood with just the first look! 

One of their Valentine’s Day cupcakes: Black Bottom Cupcake – a dark chocolate cake with chocolate chip cheesecake baked in complimented with cream cheese icing . Mix & match a dozen -$30.00 or $2.75 each.

All of their cupcakes are made to order with real butter, whole milk and buy organic ingredients whenever possible with no preservatives. Nine flavors are baked every day for our customers. Their cupcakes are made-to-order, so they are at their very best! Special orders are always welcome with 24 hour notice.

Location: Charleston, Mt. Pleasant and Columbia South Carolina; website: FreshCupcakes.com

Kupcake Kitchen

Choose from their richly moist chocolate cupcake to their luscious classic red velvet to something fun like cookies ‘n cream and then pick your design. Both featured cupcakes are topped with their creamy vanilla butter cream frosting (one tinted pink). Their layered fondant hearts with red sprinkled edges and their fondant “XO” cut-out design with heart-sprinkled edges (see the gallery below) are the perfect Valentine’s treat that say “Wow.”

Kupcake Kitchen is a special-order cupcake company located in Santa Clarita, CA. All of their cupcakes are baked from scratch using only the freshest ingredients, are made to order, and are never frozen.

Prices: $15 for 12 mini kupcakes or 6 standard kupcakes. 

Website: KupcakeKitchen.com

Sweet Surrender

 Decadence D’Or (from Sweet Surrender) is a sumptuous cupcake, handcrafted from the most exclusive, rich, and enterprising ingredients around the globe. One main ingredient in Decadence D’Or is Palmira Single Estate Chocolate. This special chocolate varietal is derived from the rare and fragile Porcelana Criollo bean and cultivated to its fullest state of richness exclusively at the Valrhona plantation in Venezuela. Complementary to the Palmira Single Estate Chocolate is Tahitian Gold Vanilla Caviar. This fruit, after it is ripened for nine months, then hand-harvested, cured, sweat, dried, and hand-split, is obtained only by tedious manual extraction; it is truly a delicacy, both in taste and exclusivity. Topping the Decadence D’Or is the masterfully smooth Louis XIII de Remy Martin Cognac, 100 years in the making, and edible, metallic gold flakes, each painstakingly hand-placed. Finally, once baked to perfection, this grand dessert is encased in a stately, hand blown sugar Fleur-de-Lis and presented on a handmade exclusive elegant crackled-gold glass curved plate and bowl. Talk about the royal treatment!

Chef Long Nguyen, executive pastry chef of The Venetian and The Palazzo is the visionary genius behind all the exotic cupcake flavors and Chef Johann Springfield, head baker makes the cupcakes a reality.

Price: $750

Location: Sweet Surrender, located on The Palazzo casino (Las Vegas) floor next to guest elevators; special orders can be placed by dialing 702-607-0753.

Diana Sproveri Cupcakes

Since last Fall, Diana Sproveri Cupcakes have been delightfully devoured by Hollywood celebrities, busy executives, and hard-working mommies. Diana Sproveri’s designer baked goods have appeared in Sunset, People, and Good Day LA.

Why all the munching and buzzing? Diana Sproveri cupcakes are artisanal, decadent, and crafted from heirloom recipes. No matter the occasion, they make a great and delicious dessert!

Pricing: Online pricing is $36 per dozen. With premium Valentine’s gift-wrapped packaging, $47/dozen.

Location: Los Angeles, California; her website: dianasproveri.com

Yummy Cupcakes

For Valentine’s day their special cupcake menu will include:

Cream Puff: Vanilla bean cupcake filled with fresh whipped cream, dipped in pure chocolate ganache, topped with a dollop of buttercream and an edible petal of gold
Sprinkle Heart: Vanilla bean cupcake frosted with vanilla bean buttercream, rolled in solid red sprinkles that shape a heart.
Vanilla Rose: Vanilla bean cupcake baked with a hint of rose essence frosted with a vanilla rose buttercream, topped with a small chocolate rose
Cherries Jubilee (aka Bleeding Heart): Vanilla bean cupcake filled with cherry pie filling that overflows out of the vanilla bean buttercream. Take a bite and cherries flow out!

Some other cupcake creations that make great gift items and can be shipped nationally and won’t break your budget include: original ”Cupcake in a jar” (see gallery below) and Cupcake truffles: An assortment of decadent chocolate cupcake truffles for the Valentine holiday, decorated with chocolate drizzles and chocolate hearts

Location: Yummy Cupcakes has two locations in LA but they ship nationally so anyone can enjoy their 175+ designer cupcake flavors, 42 vegan flavors, and 100% natural ingredients. Website: YummyCupcakes.com.

Sweet E’s

Sweet E’s, “the mini bake shop” is LA’s premier Dessert Delivery service. Sweet E’s bakes the perfect size treat, 2-3 bites of pure delight. They offer an array of deliciously convenient mini cupcakes, cake pops, brownies, and more! Everything at Sweet E’s is baked from scratch using only the finest ingredients, then hand decorated and delivered straight from their ovens to your table.

Sweet E’s specializes in customizing cupcakes, cakes, & cupcake towers to match the style and theme of any event. They will help you visualize your dream and design your creation specifically for you.

Valentine’s Day Special: Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcake Strawberry cake with milk chocolate frosting.

Price: Valentine’s Day cupcakes – $66/2 doz.

Location: With a kitchen based in North Hollywood, hand delivery is available anywhere in the Los Angeles and surrounding areas. Website: SweetEsBakeShop.com

Kumquat Cupcakery

Every Valentines Day, Kumquat Cupcakery- a catering company in New York City, drops the minimum of 3 dozen to 2 dozen cupcakes and adds a cute little holiday card. This year they are doing something really special: they are offering a box of “roses”! An assortment of vanilla, chocolate, and red velvet cupcakes adorned with different shades of frosting in the shape of roses.

Kumquat Cupackery was mentioned in many printed magazines and even on Martha Stewart!

Price: Each box is $48 + tax.

Location: New York City; more info on their website: KumquatCupcakery.com

Gallery

Fondant "XO" cut-out design from KupcakeKitchen.com

Cupcake in a jar - yummycupcakes.com

More to come!!

This recipe is courtesy of aoitea.com

Makes 12

Cupcakes
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour (measure by “scoop and level” method)
2 teaspoons AOI Chef’s Choice Matcha Green Tea
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup whole milk
¼ cup buttermilk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons finely grated lime peel
2 large eggs

Meringue
4 large egg whites, room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Large pinch of salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Line 12 standard (1/3 cup capacity) muffin cups with paper liners. Combine flour, Matcha, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl; whisk until blended. Combine milk, buttermilk, and vanilla in small bowl.

Using hand-held electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Beat in lime peel. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and beat until blended after each. Clean off beaters.

Using rubber spatula, fold 1/3 of dry ingredients into butter mixture. Add half of milk mixture and stir to blend. Fold in half of remaining dry ingredients, then remaining milk mixture. Fold in remaining dry ingredients. Spoon batter into paper liners, dividing evenly.

Bake cupcakes until tester (long toothpick) inserted into center comes out clean, about 22 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan 10 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to rack and allow to cool completely.

Meanwhile, increase oven temperature to 450˚ F. Using clean dry beaters and hand-held electric mixer, beat egg whites, vanilla, and salt in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Beat in sugar, then powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until firm peaks form, about 5 minutes.

Working with 1 at a time, mound 1/3 cup meringue on cupcake. Using an offset spatula, seal meringue to top edge of paper liner, then swirl meringue decoratively into peaks. Place cupcakes on large rimmed baking sheet, spaced 2 to 3 inches apart.

Bake cupcakes until meringue is singed in spots, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to rack and cool completely.

Serve on same day made. Refrigerate any leftovers.