Chocolate and Walnut Fudge

Here is a simple recipe for homemade fudge. With all of these snowy winter days inside, what better to do than make dessert treats?

Ingredients:
4 cups confectionary sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
6 tbsp. Cold butter
1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp. Vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. Salt

Instructions:
Stir all ingredients together in a heat resistant bowl. Now, in a medium saucepan bring water to a boil. When boiling, place the bowl with the ingredients on top of the saucepan to create a double boiler effect. 

Keep stirring the mixture until creamy. Then remove from heat and stir a few more times. In a square pan, spray nonstick cooking spray and then line with parchment paper. Pour the mixture in evenly and then sprinkle on walnuts or another topping, like mini marshmallows, if you wish. When this completely hardens, cut into squares. Enjoy! 

Cheesecake

This was my first time making a homemade cheesecake, and I must say it turned out perfect!

I decided to use my Mom's recipe, and make this special Valentine's Day treat.

Ingredients:

For the crust:
1 cup  crushed graham crackers (about 7 whole crackers)
3 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. melted butter

For the cake:
Four 8 oz. packages of cream cheese
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp. flour
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Instructions:

Before you even make the cheesecake, take the cream cheese packages out of the fridge and leave them on the counter for at least 3 hours or more, so that they get to room temperature.

Now, you will mix together the crushed graham crackers, melted butter, and sugar to form the crust.  Press this mixture firmly down into the bottom of a spring form pan. Bake this at 325 degrees for ten minutes, then remove from the oven.

To make the cheesecake, you will now add the cream cheese, sugar, and flour into a mixer.  Blend until smooth.  Now, add the eggs one at a time while the mixer is going, so that everything is combined. Finally, blend in the sour cream and vanilla extract.  Make sure this is completely smooth without any lumps, and then pour mixture into the spring form pan.

Bake this at 450 degrees for ten minutes, then reduce the heat to 250 degrees and bake for one hour. The center may look a little "wobbly" but as long as the cake feels firm to the touch, it is done.

When the cake is done, let it cool for about an hour, and then either transfer the cake out of the pan and set in the fridge for about 6-8 hours, or just put the entire pan into the fridge for that same amount of cooling time.

Once cooled, serve with a fruit toppings of your choice!

Enjoy!

Cinnamon Rolls

Today is a snow day from work, which means I'm at home baking!

I made these really delicious cinnamon rolls for the first time. What an easy recipe!

Here it is...

Ingredients:

For the roll:
2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
4 tbsp. Butter
4 tsp. Baking powder
2/3 cup milk
Splash of vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. Salt

For the "topping":
4 tbsp. Butter, melted
Brown sugar
Cinnamon

Instructions:

For the roll:
Add the dry ingredients together in a bowl or mixer. Now, cut the butter into pats and add those. If you're using an electric mixer, start it on a slow setting and then while it's mixing slowly pour in the milk. Add the splash of vanilla. Mix until it forms a batter.

For the topping:
Now, roll this dough out onto a floured surface. Melt the butter that is to be used for the topping. Brush this melted butter over the top of your rolled out dough. Save a little bit of the melted butter aside. Now, sprinkle brown sugar over the top and then do the same with cinnamon. I didn't include measurements for these toppings, because it's up to you how much you'd like to use. Generally, you just want the whole surface of the dough to be covered with the mixture.

Now, roll this up tightly, rolling the dough away from you so that the cinnamon and sugar topping is enclosed in the dough. When it is rolled together, cut the roll into slices, each about an inch thick.

In muffin tin, use the rest of the melted butter to coat the inside of the tin. Now place the rolls in the tin sideways, making sure the swirl of the cinnamon is visible.

Bake at 350 for about 18 minutes.

I like these as they are  but you could easily make a glaze out of confectionary sugar and water to drizzle on the top.

Enjoy!

*yields about a dozen rolls*