http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2WFz8r/gingerbreadbagels.com/2011/06/30/twixcheesecakes/ http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2YACg2/mingmakescupcakes.yolasite.

com/
Banana Bread 2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup sugar pinch of ground cloves 1 heaping teaspoon ground ginger 6 tablespoons room temperature butter 1/4 cup plain, whole-milk yogurt, not totally cold 2 large, room temperature eggs, beaten lightly 3 ripe bananas, lightly mashed 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Set out your dairy and eggs. Put your baking rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Liberally grease the sides of a regular size bread dish (9 x 5 x 3) and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, and spices. Then, using the paddle attachment and lowest setting on a stand mixer, or a wooden spoon, lightly beat the butter, and then add the eggs and yogurt. Gently fold in the banana mixture and the vanilla. Finally, add the flour in thirds and stir just until combined. Pour into the bread dish and cook for about an hour, until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is golden brown. Keep a close eye toward the end of cooking time. Remove from oven and cool for 30 minutes before serving. If tightly covered, the bread will last for several days at room temperature.

Perogies- For the Dough: 3 cups all purpose flour 1 Tsp. salt 2 Tbsp. melted butter, salted 1 cup plain yogurt 2 eggs 1 Tsp. vegetable oil, For the Filling: 2 3 Large potatoes 3 slices bacon 2 shallots, finely sliced

green apple, peeled and chopped 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1 Tbsp walnuts, finely ground in food processor 2 Tbsp. cottage cheese 1 Tbsp. milk 1 Tbsp. butter cup Sharp white cheddar, shredded cup gorgonzola, crumbled

In a large bowl combine flour and salt. Set aside. In a medium bowl combine butter, yogurt, eggs, and oil. Whisk until smooth and fold into the flour mixture. Stir the mixture until the flour is fully combined and a light and sticky dough forms. Cover the bowl with a cloth and let stand one hour. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. For the filling start with the potatoes. Peel and boil them until tender; about 15 20 minutes depending on the size. Drain and set aside. In a large pot or dutch oven cook the bacon until crispy. Remove from pan, chop into small pieces and set aside. Add olive oil to bacon fat and heat over medium high. Saut shallots in oil for one minute, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes or until they begin to caramelize. Add diced apple to the pan and continue to cook on low heat until shallots are caramelized and apples are tender. Remove from heat. Return bacon and potatoes to the pan and mash until the shallots, bacon and apples are equally distributed throughout the mash. Add cottage cheese, milk, butter, ground walnuts, white cheddar and gorgonzola and continue to mash until almost smooth and fully combined. Set aside. To assemble the perogies, flour a large workspace and roll out the dough until it is of an inch thin. Using a round cookie cutter or the top of a wine glass, cut rounds of dough and place 1 tablespoon of filling the the middle. Wet the edges of the dough and fold over pressing the sides to seal in the filling. I like to use a fork to press down the edges so the filling is securely inside. Place the perogies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer for two hours. Once they are frozen move the perogies to a freezer bag and keep them frozen until they will be used. To cook perogies, place them in a large bowl of hot water. In the meantime warm olive oil over medium heat and saut some onions and garlic. Add perogies to oil and fry until they are hot and golden brown. Serve with sour cream or gorgonzola cream sauce.

Yield 24 perogies

Milk Chocolate Ganache Tart

Crust: 2 cups coarse pretzel crumbs 1 stick very soft butter cup powdered sugar Filling: 12 oz. good quality milk chocolate 8 oz heavy cream stick (4 tablespoons) butter To make the crust combine the pretzel crumbs, soft butter and powdered sugar. Using finger tips, rub together until combined and the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs. Place in a tart or pie pan and with the back of a small glass, firmly press the crumbs evenly in the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake for about 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven until the edge of the crust just begins to brown. Remove from the oven and set aside while preparing the filling.

To make the filling, coarsely chop the chocolate and place in a medium bowl with the butter. In a small pan bring the cream just to a boil and pour over the chocolate and butter. Let sit for about 5 minutes and gently stir with a spatula until the chocolate has completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Do not use a mixer or a whisk to minimize creating bubbles or beating excess air into the mixture. Pour into the cooled crust and refrigerate overnight. To serve, slice into small wedges. Serves 8-10

One-pan dark chocolate chunk skillet cookie 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 egg 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup chocolate chunks 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in an 8 inch cast iron skillet set over medium-low heat. Stir in sugars and vanilla and remove from heat. Let rest until pan is warm, but no longer very hot, about 5 minutes.

2. Crack an egg onto the butter and sugar mixture, and use a fork to whisk it well into the mixture. Place flour, baking soda, and salt on top, and very carefully stir into the mixture until smooth and well-mixed. Stir in chocolate chunks. Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes*, or until starting to turn golden on the top and around the edges, but soft in the center. Serve with vanilla ice cream. * As many readers have pointed out, cooking time can vary greatly. When I doubled this recipe, for instance, I made it in a larger pan, and the cooking time was probably around 35 minutes. Also, it will depend on how hot your pan is when you put it in the oven, the size of it, and how well it conducts heat. When youre making it, judge the cooking time according to the doneness of your preference. You may have to wait a little longer than the recipe says, but you wont be sorry.

smores brownies
Ingredients:
CRUST:

Yield: 12 brownies Prep Time: 30 min Cook Time: 60 min

7 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (8 or 9 whole graham crackers) 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar pinch of salt BROWNIE: 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped 1 cup packed light brown sugar 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 large eggs 1 cup all-purpose flour TOPPING: 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips 3 to 4 cups mini marshmallows about 1/4 cup of graham cracker crumbs (1 whole cracker, crumbled)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 8x8-inch pan with foil so it hangs over the edges a bit. Spray with nonstick spray. (You can use 9x9-inch pan, but baking time might need slight decrease and your end result will be a thinner brownie). 2. Prepare crust: In a medium bowl, mix butter with crumbs, sugar and salt. Press crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. 3. Prepare the brownie: Place butter and chocolate in microwave-safe bowl. Melt for 1 minute; stir. Melt another minute; stir. Keep microwaving at 1 minute intervals until mixture is completely melted. (Alternately, you can melt this mixture in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water on the stove). Add sugars, vanilla and salt into the melted chocolate and mix together. Add eggs and beat vigorously until you see a thick and glossy batter. Stir in flour and mix just until incorporated. Pour batter over the baked crust. Bake until top is set and toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean, 35 to 40 minutes (you don't want to overbake the brownie- a little gooey inside is good). 4. Remove pan from oven. Turn up heat on the oven to broil. Sprinkle chocolate chunks over the baked brownie. Add a nice, thick layer of marshmallows next. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs on top. 5. Place your pan of brownies back into the oven (they should be 6 to 8 inches away from the heating element). Toast under the broiler until golden- KEEP AN EYE ON IT- it can go from golden to burned in a matter of seconds. 1 to 2 minutes under the broiler should be plenty. 6. Cool for a few minutes, then use foil to remove brownies from the pan and set on a cutting board. Carefully pull the sides of the foil away from the marshmallows and brownies. Cut brownies into 12 squares. Helpful tip: Use a large, WET & SHARP KNIFE to cut the brownies. Slice through the brownie, then clean the knife and slice through again with a clean, wet knife. Keep cleaning off the knife after each cut for the cleanest cuts.

CHOCOLATE CHUNK PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

8 tbl unsalted butter (room temperature)

2 tbl honey

1 large egg

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

6 oz semisweet chocolate (chopped into large chunks)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 large heavy duty baking sheets with aluminum foil.

Mix the flour, baking soda and the salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, honey egg and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended. Stir the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture in two additions. Stir in the shoppes chocolate.

Scoop about 2 tablespoonsful of dough for each cookie onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 12 minutes (shorter time if using a convection oven), or until the cookies puff and begin to brown on top but are still soft to the touch.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Then use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack.

Peanut Butter Brownies slightly adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours 8 oz. butter (2 sticks or 1 cup) butter, softened 1 cup peanut butter, preferably not natural 1 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup white sugar 2 large whole eggs 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (you can do all white or half-and-half w.w. and a.p. flour) 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 1 bag (12 oz.) good quality milk chocolate chips (I used Guittard) 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 Tbsp. butter Butter a 9 by 13" baking dish. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Beat butter and peanut butter together until creamy. Add the sugars. Beat until well combined and add the eggs. Continue beating until light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients all at once and beat together on low speed until combined. Press the dough into the prepared baking dish. Bake for about 30 minutes, checking after 20, until top is golden brown and edges are a bit darker. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Prepare ganache. In a large, microwave safe bowl, place chocolate chips and heavy cream. Microwave on 50% power at 30 second intervals until chocolate has melted. Whisk until smooth and add the butter. Pour the ganache over the top of the peanut butter brownies and spread to the edges. Let cool at room temperature for several hours before cutting, or in the fridge for 30 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen good-sized bars.