Apple Crisp

I was tagged a couple of days ago by fellow blogger Hilary to write six random things about myself, so here's your chance to get to know a little more about me..

1. One of my guilty pleasures is bad horror films.. no matter how bad they are. For example, I just saw "The Ruins" a couple weeks ago and it was one of the worst movies ever made and a complete waste of my time to watch, but I secretly loved it. I can't get myself to stop watching these stupid horror films and have even found a partner to watch them with, my friend Jimmy! We always go with each other to watch scary movies because no one else will come with us. Maybe there's a reason why no one else wants to watch these movies... Oh well. "My Bloody Valentine," anyone?
2. You'd never guess it but I'm 1/8th, give or take a little, Moroccan (or some part of Africa)! It comes from my dad's side of the family. He doesn't know much about his family tree past his parents; he just knows that there is African descent in his blood. Proof? My older sister was born with an afro and has ridiculously naturally curly hair. Think about it... an Asian with naturally curly hair?! What??
3. I have this weakness for puppies. Particularly German shepherds. I can NOT wait until the day comes that I will be able to have my own! They are just about the most precious things on Earth (besides baby tigers). Every time I see one, I go into complete awe. My boyfriend even tells me that I have a "German shepherd face" that I do, and he can instantly tell whether I'm looking at a German shepherd or not by simply observing my facial expression.
4. All of my friends consider me a grandma, even though I'm only 21. Why? It's because of my hobbies. I was never a fan of the "partying" life and the whole clubbing scene just wasn't my cup of tea. I don't drink, party, or go clubbing... what kind of young'n am I, right?!? Well, I'm the kind that love love loves scrapbooking, painting, sketching, quilting, and baking... hobbies that are considered "grandma-ish." I taught myself how to stencil & know how to make a mean cross stitching piece. Instead of getting trashed every night like most people my age, I'd much prefer a night in, cuddled up in blankets with some hot chocolate & a movie.
   
5. I rarely eat what I bake. As a matter of fact, I eat a TON of dessert and sugar on a daily basis (trust me; I think every meal of the day should have dessert afterwards)... with 99% of it being baked by someone else. When I crave something, my craving can only be satisfied if the dessert is made by someone else. Things just taste ten times better when someone else makes it. You don't agree? Example: You come home from school and make a sandwich for yourself. Meh.. just ok. But when your mom makes you one, it tastes ten times better even though the sandwich has the EXACT SAME ingredients. Yeah, I thought so.
6. I adore kids and can't wait to have my own. I think their energy and carefreeness is always such a joy to be around. They will tell you exactly what's on their mind, with no hesitation. I love that. I worked with kids for over five years at the Boys & Girls Club and couldn't have asked fora better first job. The kids brightened my day, every day. On the other end of spectrum, I also adore elderly people. Actually, I'm quite known for it with my friends. On my last birthday, two of my friends got me cards with elderly people on it just because I would think it's so precious... and I did. Elderly people have so much more experience in life than I do, and I love listening to all their stories. What really gets me is elderly couples, because I hope I'll be lucky enough to be in their shoes one day.

And there you have it.. that sums up some random facts about me! Now moving on to the real reason I blogged.. apple crisp! This one didn't really tickle my fancy, but that's because I forgot to add the water :( It turned out way too sweet for me, but I'm willing to give it another shot and do it right next time! Apple crisp is so simple, I don't know how I managed to mess this one up. I was too distracted with family, I guess!

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 4 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. Stir until crumbly. Press half the oat mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover with sliced apples.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine white sugar, cornstarch, water and vanilla. Cook, stirring, until thick and clear, 10 minutes. Pour over apples. Cover apples with remaining crumble mixture.
4. Bake in preheated oven 45 minutes, until bubbly and golden.

Chocolate Graham Cracker Cupcakes With Marshmallow Frosting

I've been craving chocolate cake for the past week or so, but I've been either too busy or too sick to make it. I'm not gonna lie, I usually make my cakes/cupcakes from boxed mixes because I think they always turn out ten times better than when I make it from scratch. Boxed mixes are always perfectly moist and come out beautifully every time... You just can't mess them up-- They're so easy! PLUS, you don't have to worry about washing so many dishes!

Last night, I was so close to making my own chocolate cake from scratch, but I didn't have all the ingredients to make the frosting. We all know you can't make a chocolate cake without the chocolate frosting.. so off to the grocery store it was. Now, by the time I actually got dressed and into the car, I was just not feeling up to par and wasn't in the healthiest mood to be baking a cake. That's when my boyfriend (bless his heart) told me that he would make me red velvet cupcakes and even frost them for me! Granted they were both going to be cupcakes made from a boxed mix and frosting from a can, I was ecstatic that he would do all that for me. For those of you that are unaware, my boyfriend is not exactly the best person in the kitchen. Let's just say that he tried to heat up "microwave chicken" once and forgot to puncture holes AND cover the plate with a paper towel, despite the clear directions on the side of the box.

Anyways, I'm walking through the baking aisle and thought to myself.. it's already nearly midnight; I didn't want my boyfriend to make a mess in the kitchen and go through all the trouble for me just so I can get a piece of chocolate cake. I opted for the Betty Crocker Warm Delights in Molten Caramel Cake with some cookie dough ice cream on top, instead. It only takes a minute and 15 seconds to make and it's the perfect amount to satisfy my craving.. or so I thought. I woke up the next morning feeling ten times better with the same urge to bake a chocolate cake. Thank goodness I did! These cupcakes were magnificent!

This recipe is from Jennifer of Seattle's Trophy Cupcakes. If you've never had a cupcake from there, then you haven't lived. Seriously. I went to Seattle for my cousin's wedding last summer, and their wedding cake was made up of Trophy's Cupcakes. They are BY FAR the BEST cupcakes I've never had. Better than those Sprinkles & Crumbs cupcakes found here in LA. The red velvet was to die for, and I ate at least six different kinds of cupcakes from there when I went. Each one was just as delectable as the next. I'm still dying to try the Chai one (Chai tea lattes are my all time favorite drink and I love Chai EVERYTHING), but they didn't have it on the days that I went. :(

I had a bunch of my family over tonight to celebrate Chinese New Year a bit early, and by the end of the night, there were only 6 cupcakes left from the original 24 that I baked plus a mini cake. Everyone loved them-- Even my dad, who doesn't normally like super sweet desserts. I'd use this recipe over and over again! Now if only Jennifer from Trophy's can release their red velvet recipe....

• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 20 squares)
• 1/4 cup sugar
  
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• Marshmallow Frosting (See recipe below)
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 standard muffin tins with cupcake liners; set aside.
2. Sift 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix ingredients together on low speed.
3. In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl and continue mixing on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add boiling water and stir to combine; set cake batter aside.
4. Place graham cracker crumbs, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and melted butter in a large bowl; stir until well combined.
5. Place 1 tablespoon graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each prepared muffin cup. Use the bottom of a small glass to pack crumbs into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Reserve remaining graham cracker mixture for topping.
6. Place 2 teaspoons chocolate in each muffin cup. Transfer muffin tins to oven and bake until the edges of the graham cracker mixture is golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and fill each muffin cup three-quarters full with cake batter. Sprinkle each with remaining chocolate and graham cracker mixture. Return to oven and bake, rotating pans halfway through baking, until tops are firm and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer muffin tins to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely.
7. Transfer frosting to a large pastry bag fitted with a large plain round or French tip (such as Ateco #867 or Ateco #809). Pipe frosting in a spiral motion on each cupcake. Transfer cupcakes to a baking sheet. Using a kitchen torch, lightly brown the frosting, taking care not to burn the cupcake liners. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container, up to 2 days.

Marshmallow Frosting

• 8 large egg whites
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a saucepan with simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix until combined. Use immediately.

My Notes: I followed the recipe to the T and it turned out beautifully. The batter might seem a bit thin, but that's how it's supposed to be! It turned out for a super moist cupcake. I didn't have that many graham crackers, so I wasn't able to sprinkle the top with it. I'm sure it didn't make much of a difference, but I'll make sure to have more on hand the next time I make these. I also had a TON of batter leftover and was able to bake a mini cake, so you can line some more muffin tins and make more cupcakes instead (there was enough to probably make at least 6 more cupcakes). The frosting was just AMAZING. Seriously. AMAZING.

Blueberry Muffins

I've been on a blueberry binge lately.. eating them everyday- whether frozen by itself or in my yogurt. My boyfriend got me addicted! My mom had some fresh blueberries at home so I decided to make some muffins. I'm not really a fan of muffins, cause as my sister says, "Muffins are retarded cupcakes." If I had to choose between a muffin and a cupcake, I'd take a cupcake every time, which is probably why I rarely bake muffins. I made these for my boyfriend, but forgot to take them over to his house when I went, so these babies were left at home!

The taste was absolutely perfect, not too sweet, but sweet enough. The turbinado sugar on the top was definitely the icing on the cake. The blueberries baked perfectly, and the top rose beautifully. The only thing that irked me a bit was that they were a bit dry. The next time that I make these, I'd recommend adding a cup or so of plain vanilla yogurt to moisten up the texture a bit. That, or possibly lower the baking time/temperature. I also left out the lemon zest on half the batter and it turned out fine. I actually think I prefer it that way!

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh blueberries (you can use frozen, just make sure that you dry them as best you can)
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1-2 tablespoons turbinado sugar for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper muffin cups and spray with Pam.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, toss the blueberries with about 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture. This will help them to stay afloat in the muffins instead of sinking to the bottom. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using your paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
5. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well, then mix in the vanilla extract.
6. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until moistened. Add the milk and beat just until combined. Do not overbeat!
7. Lightly fold in the blueberries using a rubber spatula, careful not to squish them. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups so that each one is 2/3 full. Sprinkle your desired amount of turbinado sugar over the batter in each muffin cup.
8. Bake until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack or another surface to cool. Remove muffins from pan and let cool completely.

Sidenote: I know this is totally unrelated to my blog but I'm desperate! I'm trying to find someone to take over my lease at my apartment in LA so that I can move back home due to financial troubles and just commute to school.. if you know anyone that needs a place to live in west LA, please contact me! The apartment is great, for more info, go HERE. Thanks!

Banana Cake w/Cream Cheese Frosting

Yay for finally being home and being able to bake! Baking really is such a great stress reliever for me. I was supposed to go out last night but the plans fell through, so I stayed home and baked instead. My mom had some ripe bananas (I swear she buys fruit in bulk so that I would make something out of them when they're too ripe to eat) and suggested that I make something with them. I've already made banana bread a million and two times, so I settled for a cake instead. Honestly, there isn't that much of a difference between banana bread and banana cake. They both taste the same.. one's just a tiny bit lighter than the other. I added a bit of yogurt and oil to make the cake a bit moister, and that definitely did the trick. I baked the batter in one 9 inch pan and the other into a mini loaf pan. I don't think there was enough batter to make two 9 inch cakes, but there would be for an 8 inch round pan. The cake was just okay in my opinion, but I'm not really a fan of banana desserts unless it's banana flambe. Mmmmmm... banana flambe...

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
4 ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; set aside.

Cream together the butter and the sugar.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well in between each addition. Add bananas and vanilla extract; mix well. Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Pour batter into the prepared pans.

Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Cool and frost cake.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Baking From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan

4 ounces low-fat cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 stick ( 4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 pound or about 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 to 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract
Finely chopped toasted pecans and toasted pecan halves

In a large bowl, working with your mixer of choice, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the confectioner’s sugar and keep beating until the frosting is very smooth. Beat in the lemon juice or extract.

Frost the cake and decorate the sides with the chopped walnuts.

Apple Crumble Pie

My little sister has been nagging me for the past couple of days to make her apple pie, apple crisp, apple crumble, baked apples, or apple turnovers... basically, anything with baked apples. I'd been away at school and so busy figuring out my schedule, buying books, getting prepared for my classes, reading, etc.. (First week of the quarter just started for me) that I really didn't have any time to bake. As the weekend came, however, I finally gave into it (because I was secretly craving an apple dessert as well) and made this apple crumble pie. To me, pie's just ok... but make it with a crumble top and I'm sold! I'd much prefer a streusel topping rather than a flaky crust top. This was delicious and definitely hit the spot.

Let the pie cool a bit before cutting it, otherwise all the juices will leak out and you'll freak out about baking such a liquid-y pie. If you let the pie cool a bit before cutting, that juice will turn into more of a thick apple syrup, keeping the apples moist for storage. Also, I added a bit of cinnamon into the streusel topping for a little extra kick cause you can never have enough cinnamon with apples.

Ingredients:

• 1 (9 inch) deep dish pie crust
• 5 cups apples - peeled, cored and cut into thin pieces (I just diced mine and used about 6 large apples)
  
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
  
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons butter

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C.) Arrange apple slices in unbaked pie shell. Mix 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over apples.
2. Mix 1/4 cup white & brown sugar with flour; cut in butter until crumbly. Spoon mixture over apples.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until apples are soft and top is lightly browned

Easy Peasy Sugar-Coated Roasted Pecans

I had a huge bag of pecans at home that were about to expire soon.. so I was pondering on the list of things to do with them. I'm not really a fan of nuts in my baked goods, so I figured.. heck, let's just eat them as is! This recipe is extremely easy and results in a very addicting snack. Once you eat one, you can't stop! My dad was a huge fan, along with my boyfriend. They're so great because you can take them anywhere stored in a Ziploc bag and snack on them at any time-- whether on a road trip or watching a movie. They're guaranteed to please.

I used a SILPAT to bake these nuts on and I highly recommend getting one if you haven't already. It's such a handy tool in the kitchen, especially for baking these. Nothing sticks to the surface and it can withhold such high temperatures. It's a bit pricy, but worth every penny. It's also simple to clean... who can complain with easy clean-up?

• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon water
  
• 1 pound pecan halves
  
• 1 cup white sugar
  
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet or use a Silpat. In a mixing bowl, whip together the egg white and water until frothy. In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, salt, and cinnamon.

Add pecans to egg whites, stir to coat the nuts evenly. Remove the nuts, and toss them in the sugar mixture until coated. Spread the nuts out on the prepared baking sheet. Bake at 250 degrees F for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container.

Grandma's Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy New Year! I baked these cookies because there was going to be a ton of people at the New Years Party I was going to, and my boy friends tend to eat a lot. I had a lot of mouths to feed and knew that this would be the perfect recipe to feed everyone.

As most of you don't know (probably because you don't know me), I played volleyball for all four years of my high school career. During volleyball season, we basically lived off subway sandwiches and food from various gyms' snack bars. Our home snack bar was known for our cookies- Grandma's Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies. One of my close friends on my team's grandma would bake these for every home game and for every volleyball gathering- banquets, parties, pep rallies.. Every time she baked them, she would make a TON of them, particularly because there were so many mouths to feed. I remember LOVING these cookies after every game, and still do! My friend's grandma gave the recipe to all of us in our senior year at our volleyball banquet, and I'm so grateful that she did. They're delicious and are definitely a crowd pleaser-- I mean, who doesn't like chocolate chips!?

These cookies are delightfully chewy and stuffed with chocolate and white chocolate. I changed the recipe a bit by adding half butter/half shortening instead of pure shortening. You can also cut down on the chocolate chips amount if you like your cookies to have more dough than chocolate. This recipe makes A LOT of cookies (12 dozen, to be exact)... but you can always cut it in half or even by a fourth.

Ingredients:

• 9 cups flour
• 4 tsp baking soda
• 4 tsp salt
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 cups brown sugar
• 2 cups Crisco shortening
• 2 cups softened butter
• 4 tsp vanilla
• 8 eggs
• 60 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
• 12 oz white chocolate chips
• 12 oz milk chocolate chips
  

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix flour mixture (flour, baking soda, salt) with sugar mixture (sugar, shortening, vanilla, eggs).
3. Add the chocolate chips to the batter and stir.
4. Form into walnut sized balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 11 and a half minutes. Let them cool on pan for 3 minutes before removing onto a wire rack to completely cool.