Friday Foodday

Hey lovebugs! It's Friday!!!! I for one am pumped.  This weekend I will be heading home to Philadelphia to help the fam pick out our Christmas tree! I'm so excited. Especially since I didn't get to go home for Thanksgiving, this is a much needed trip!

Here are this week's recipes. I found some delicious desserts so I decided to make this post ALL sweets!  Remember if you ever have a great one that you made yourself (go girl) or found somewhere else please pass it along!

Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes
c/o Wit and Whimsy

• 1/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 11 fluid ounces chocolate syrup(recommended: Hershey's)
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

For the ganache:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
• Candied violets, for decoration, optional

Directions

• Line muffin pans with 12 paper liners. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in the chocolate syrup and vanilla. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Don't overbeat, or the cupcakes will be tough.
• Scoop the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 30 minutes, or until just set in the middle. Don't overbake! Let the cupcakes cool thoroughly in the pan.
• For the ganache, cook the heavy cream, chocolate chips, and instant coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally.
•  Dip the top of each cupcake in the ganache. Decorate with candied violets, if desired. Do not refrigerate.

Red Velvet Cheesecake

c/o A Hasty Life

Ingredients

• 1  lb.  milk chocolate, chopped
• 1/2  cup  butter
• 1  9-oz. pkg.  chocolate wafer cookies (40 to 45 cookies)
• 1  cup  semisweet chocolate pieces
• 1  cup  slivered almonds
• 1/2  cup  packed brown sugar
• 1/2  cup  butter, melted
• 4  8-oz. pkgs.  cream cheese, softened
• 1  8-oz. carton  dairy sour cream
• 1/3  cup  granulated sugar
• 1/3  cup  buttermilk
• 1  1-oz. bottle  red food coloring (2 Tbsp.)
• 4    eggs
• 2    egg yolks
•     Chocolate leaves (optional)
•     Powdered sugar (optional)
•     Unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
•     Fresh raspberries and/or small whole strawberries (optional)

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, melt chocolate and 1/2 cup butter over low heat; transfer to a bowl and cool completely.

2. Place wafer cookies, chocolate pieces, almonds and brown sugar in a large food processor. Cover and process until finely ground. Add the 1/2 cup melted butter; cover and process until well combined. Transfer crumbs to a 10x3-inch springform pan with a removable bottom. Press crumbs onto bottom and up the sides of the pan, leaving a 1/2-inch space at the top of the pan. Set aside.

3. For filling: In a very large mixing bowl, beat the cooled chocolate mixture, cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, buttermilk and red food coloring with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until combined. Add 4 eggs and 2 egg yolks all at once. Beat on low speed just until combined.

4. Pour filling into crumb-crust lined springform pan. Place springform pan in a shallow baking pan on the oven rack. Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 1 hour, or until 2 inches of outside edge appear set when shaken gently.

5. Remove springform pan from baking pan. Cool cheesecake in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Use a small metal spatula to loosen cheesecake from sides of pan. Cool 30 minutes more. Remove sides of pan. Cool for 1 hour; cover and chill at least 4 hours.

6. To serve, use a paper doily to decoratively sift powdered sugar and cocoa powder on the top, if you like. Garnish the center with chocolate leaves and fresh raspberries, if you like. Clean knife between each cut. Makes 20 servings. 

Make-Ahead Tip:Bake and chill up to 24 hours. Garnish just before serving.

Sugar Cookie Bites

• 3 cups flour
• 1.5 tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract 
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350⁰.
• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs and extracts and mix well.
• Mix dry ingredients and add a little at a time to butter mixture. Mix until flour is completely incorporated and the dough comes together.
• Grease a mini muffin tin. Fill with cookie dough to the top of the tin. Smooth it out with the back of a spoon.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool in the pan for a minute or two. Then remove to a wire cooling rack. Cool completely before icing. 

Icing:
Ingredients

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softned
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine sugar, shortening, water and vanilla. Beat on low speed to combine, then beat on medium speed for a full five minutes. It won't look like Icing at first, but keep the mixer going for a full five minutes, and then you're done!  Pipe onto the cooked sugar cookies.

Cranberry Coffee Cake

• 3 cups of cranberries, washed
• 1 1/3 cup of sugar, divided 
• 1 cup of chopped walnuts
• 3/4 cup of butter, softened
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/3 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350. Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper.
• Combine the cranberries and 2/3 cup of sugar. Pour into the baking dish, spread evenly.
• Top with the 1 cup of walnuts.
• Cream together the sugar and remaining 2/3 cup of sugar.
• Add the eggs and vanilla, stirring well.
• Combine in a separate bowl the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix it into the creamed mixture.
• Drop the batter by spoonfuls over the cranberries. Bake about 40 minutes. Allow to cool then carefully invert the cake. Slice and serve!