Peanut Butter Pie

Ingredients

For the Crust

     1      package Oreos

            stick  (1/2 cup) unsalted butter (melted)

For the Peanut Butter Filling

1 block of regular cream cheese (8 ounces, softened)

1 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 heaping cup of creamy peanut butter

1 tub of cool whip (8 ounce tub)

For the topping

chocolate syrup

caramel syrup

Instructions

You can either prepare this pie in a 9 inch pie dish or a 9 inch spring-form pan. If using a pie dish spray the bottom of the dish lightly with some cooking spray and set aside. If using a 9 inch spring-form pan, you can either spray the bottom of the pan with cooking spray or you can cut a circle cut out of parchment paper and line the bottom on the spring-form pan with that so when it's time to serve you can easily transfer the whole pie to a serving plate.To make the crust, pulse cookies (use the entire package) in a food processor until they resemble fine crumbs. Place the cookie crumbs in a medium sized bowl and melt the butter in the microwave. Pour melted butter over the cookie crumbs and mix together until all the crumbs are evenly coated and moist. Pour crumbs into the bottom of the pie dish of spring-form pan and press them down with the back of a spoon forming a crust. Make sure the crust is even, smooth and packed tightly. In a large bowl combine cream cheese and powdered sugar and mix with an electric mixer on low speed for about a minute and then work your way up to medium speed. Add in the vanilla extract and peanut butter. Continue mixing. You may have to stop and scrap down the sides of the bowl. Slowly add in the cool whip and continue mixing until everything is thoroughly combined. Mixture will be fluffy, thick and resemble a pale peanut butter color. Pour peanut butter mixture into the pie dish and smooth it out over the pie crust. Chill pie for at least one hour before serving.

                                                                           Enjoy it!

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Amaretto Pound Cake

Ingredients:

Cake

• 1 1/4 cups butter, softened
• 1 (3-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 Tbsp amaretto
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 large eggs

Syrup

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 6 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup amaretto
• 2 Tbsp water

Glaze

• 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1-2 Tbsp milk
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. Set aside.

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add amaretto, almond extract and vanilla, beating just until blended. Slowly add flour to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition.

Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Pour batter into pan.

Bake 65 - 70 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

During last 10 minutes of baking, prepare Amaretto Syrup. Put ingredients in medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Use immediately.

Remove cake from oven, and gradually spoon hot Amaretto Glaze over cake in pan.

Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Turn cake onto a cake plate. Whisk together powdered sugar, milk and almond extract. Pour over cooled cake. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.

 

Enjoy!

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Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 bag (9.5 oz)  Dark Chocolate, chopped, 

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups grated zucchini

3 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon corn syrup

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray miniature muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray or use mini muffin liners. In a microwave safe dish, heat 1/2 package of chocolates about 18 pieces on 50% power for 1 minute; stir. Continue microwaving and stirring in 30-second intervals on 50% power until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, mix sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla until well blended. Mix in cooled chocolate. Add sour cream and mix to combine. Add dry ingredients and mix just until blended. Mix in zucchini. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full with batter. Bake 12 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool before glazing.

Chocolate Glaze

Put remaining half package of chocolates in a small glass bowl and set aside. In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine heavy cream and corn syrup; microwave heavy cream just until it starts to boil, about 30 seconds. Pour over the chocolate; set aside for 3 minutes. Whisk until chocolate is melted and smooth. If necessary, microwave an additional 10 seconds at 50% power. Dip the tops of the bites in the chocolate to glaze.

                                                               Enjoy it!

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Chocolate and Orange Cake

Ingredients:

For the cake
1/2 spent (juiced) orange, cooked and puréed
300g | 10.5 oz chocolate buttons
100g | 3 1/2 oz or 7 tsbp unsalted butter
200g | 1 cup light brown sugar
100g | 1/2 cup ground almonds
150g | 1 1/4 cup self raising flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
3 eggs

2 tbsp Campari or orange juice

1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Pinch salt

For the syrup
Juice of 1 orange
Equal volume of water
100g | 1/2 cup caster sugar
2-3 tbsp Campari (or other orange liquer)

For the chocolate glaze
150g | 5.5oz dark chocolate buttons (or mix dark and milk)
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp honey
Orange peel strips to decorate

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 180C | 350F. Grease 1x20cm/8inch bundt tin.

Juice the orange. Keep the orange segments and set the juice aside.

Chop half of the juiced orange (peel and all) in small pieces and put in a pot. Cover with water and boil for 10-15m until soft. Blitz in a food processor (or small food chopper) with a couple tablespoons of water until puréed.

Melt the chocolate over a bain marie (or in a microwave but be careful the chocolate doesn't burn). Set aside to cool. Sift the flour, cocoa, soda, salt and almonds together.

Beat the butter and sugar for several minutes until light and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, with 1 tbsp of flour. Beat until well incorporated. Add the puréed orange and 1/3 of the flour and beat on low speed until well mixed.

Fold the melted chocolate and remaining flour mix  into the batter with a wooden spoon. The batter will be quite thick. Pour into the bundt tin and level.

Bake for 1h - 1h 10m until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean or with a few small crumbs attached. Check the cake is firm on top. Cool in the tin and then carefully invert on to a drying rack.

To prepare the syrup, put equal amounts orange juice and water plus the sugar in a pot. Bring to the boil then simmer until syrup is reduced - about 5 minutes. Take off the heat and stir the Campari in. Brush the syrup over the cake with a pastry brush.

To make the glaze, melt the chocolate in a bain marie (or microwave), add the butter and honey and stir together. Put the cake on a rack with a piece of baking paper underneath. Pour or spoon the melted chocolate over the cake. Decorate with orange strips.

The cake keeps well at room temperature. In fact, it tastes even better on the second day when the flavours have had a chance to mellow. Server with some whipped cream and a spoonful some of the syrup.

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