Groundhog Day Cupcakes

Macaroons are my favorite cookie and ideal for sculpting a groundhog cupcake topper for one of the oddest holidays, Groundhog Day, on February 2.

Chocolate Macaroon Groundhogs

3 cups flaked sweetened coconut
6 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
3 egg whites
Slivered almonds
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1 teaspoon canola oil
12 chocolate M&Ms
Mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with wax paper and lightly spray with a non-stick cooking spray. Toss coconut with flour, cocoa, and sweetened condensed milk until thoroughly mixed and coconut is completely coated. Beat egg whites on high speed until stiff. Gently fold egg whites into coconut mixture.

Form groundhog heads using 2 heaping tablespoons of dough and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. (If coconut doesn't keep its shape, put the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to stiffen it up.) Insert 2 slivered almonds into each head as the groundhog's teeth. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove cookies from oven and cool thoroughly.

Put chocolate chips and oil in small microwave safe bowl and melt chips in microwave for 20 second increments, stirring after each time until smooth.

A toothpick was my most valuable tool during this craftella process! Dip the toothpick in the chocolate and "paint" the nose and eyes area; this chocolate will act as an adherent. Place an M&M on the groundhog's head for its nose. Cut a mini marshmallow in half making 2 small circles for the whites of his eyes. Dip the toothpick in chocolate and dot the center of each marshmallow eye for his pupil. Place the eyes on his head above the nose. Cut another marshmallow in half to make circles and then cut a circle in half for his ears. Dip the ears in chocolate and place them on the groundhog's head.

You can plop this little guy on top of a cupcake like I did or keep them as cookies for a fun Groundhog Day snack!

Makes about 10 groundhog macaroons

Photo Credit: John Sparano

Baileys Irish Cream Pumpkin Pie

Baileys Original Irish Cream is the number one liqueur in the world for good reason. Its superior flavor is an excellent enhancement for this popular Thanksgiving dessert. For an extra boost top off your pie with Baileys spiked whipped cream. Simply whip up heavy cream and then add a shot of the liqueur!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled cut into pieces 4 eggs
2 tablespoons cold water
1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin pulp
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Baileys Original Irish Cream

Place flour, powdered sugar, and butter in a food processor and pulse until mixture
resembles a coarse meal. Beat together 1 egg and water. Add to flour and process until mixture forms a ball. Form a flat disk from the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

Roll out dough into a 12-inch circle on a heavily floured surface. Transfer dough circle to a 10-inch pie tin. Trim and crimp the edges of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Beat pumpkin and remaining eggs in a medium bowl creamy. Beat in brown sugar and cinnamon until smooth. Add cream and Baileys and beat until thoroughly combined. Pour pumpkin mixture into piecrust.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted off-center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.

Cut into wedges and serve. Store for up to 3 days covered in the refrigerator.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Note: If piecrust edges become too brown during baking cover with aluminum foil.

Del Monte Fruit Chillers Blogger Event

My friends at Del Monte invited me to a fab event at New York's Soho House to introduce bloggers to Del Monte Fruit Chillers Freeze & Eat Tubes. Given that the temperature outside was over 100 degrees that day, all were more than thrilled with the sorbet treats!

I had received some in the mail earlier in the month and gave the 2 flavors, Strawberry Snow Storm and Grape Berry Blizzard, to the "in-house" testers: my kids. My 5-year-old daughter gave them a big thumbs up, and my 11-year-old son pretty munched the whole box!

Here's the cool thing about these sorbet tubes:

*Each carton contains 1lb. of real fruit.

*There are 8 (2 oz.) tubes per carton and the retail price is @$2.89 (about 36 cents per tube).

*No artificial flavors or corn syrup. Plus, they're a great source of vitamin C, fat free, and only 55 calories!

*The tubes are made of a sturdy material with a fun design.

*You'll find the tubes in the canned food aisle of the grocery store, as opposed to the frozen food section, so you don't have to worry about them melting in the grocery cart. Just freeze them overnight when you get home!

Many of the bloggers at the event were moms who really appreciated both the 1lb. of fruit in each carton and the 55 calories per tube!

I like the Fruit Chillers as a healthy kid snack, but have also used them as a sorbet for dinner parties and a quick ingredient in recipes like the one below. For more recipes and tips visit the Del Monte Fruit Chillers® website. Enjoy!

Creamy Fruit Chillers® Pie

Impress your guests with a chilled pie that makes a wonderful end to a fancy dinner.

Prep time: 5 minutes Freeze time: Overnight
Servings: 8

INGREDIENTS:

• Four 4.5 oz. cups of Del Monte Fruit Chillers®, any flavor, at room temperature
• 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt or whipped topping
• One 9-inch prepared chocolate or graham cracker crust

DIRECTIONS:

Combine room temperature Fruit Chillers sorbet and yogurt in bowl; mix well. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Cover with freezer-safe plastic wrap and freeze overnight until firm. When ready to serve, remove from freezer about 10 minutes before serving and, if desired, decorate top with additional yogurt, fresh berries, or sprig of mint.

VARIATION:

Instead of mixing well, use a fork or spoon to make swirl patterns before pouring into crust and freezing.

Pictured Above: Bryson from Del Monte and Jeanne Benedict

Photo Credit: Bobby Marro

White Chocolate Cheesecake Topped with Lemon Curd

In my second book, "Sophisticated Entertaining," I wrote a whole chapter devoted to cheesecake -- eventually all the cheesecake recipes will appear on my blog -- but I wanted to kick it off with my fave! My goal in developing the perfect cheesecake recipe was to strike a balance between the rich flavor that ample cheese in a recipe yields without creating a super dense dessert. I'm pretty happy with the way this recipe turned out primarily because of the addition of white chocolate and a healthy dose of Grand Marnier. Topping it all off is lemon curd, which adds a lively lift to this buttery, decadent dessert recipe. In the past, I’ve used prepared lemon curd purchased at the grocery store to fill tartlets. The commercial curd pales in comparison to fresh homemade curd that will really perk up this cheesecake as well as your dessert recipes.

White Chocolate Cheesecake

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups vanilla wafer cookie crumbs
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 10 oz. good quality white chocolate, chopped
• 3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup Grand Marnier

Homemade Lemon Curd

• 6 egg yolks
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, cut into tablespoons
• 1 paper doily
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  

Melt 1/2 cup butter in a small saucepan over low heat or in microwave. Allow remaining 1/2 cup butter to soften at room temperature. Mix together cookie crumbs, lemon zest, sugar, and 1/2 cup melted butter. Pat mixture in bottom and up sides of buttered 10-inch spring-form pan. Freeze covered 30 minutes.

Preheat oven 350F (175C). Set spring-form pan containing crust on a baking sheet.
Melt chocolate in top of a double boiler or in a small saucepan over a larger pot of simmering water. Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes. Beat chocolate and cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Beat 1/2 cup softened butter and Grand Marnier into mixture until thoroughly blended. Pour batter into prepared pan over crust.

Place baking sheet with pan in middle rack of oven. Bake 1 hour until cheesecake puffs up and knife inserted off-center comes out clean. Cheesecake center will continue to cook and become firm once removed from oven and cake will sink slightly as it cools. Place baking sheet with pan on wire rack. Cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, make Lemon Curd. Whisk together egg yolks, granulated sugar and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly so mixture does not boil, until mixture thickens, about 8-10 minutes. When thickened, remove from heat and immediately stir in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture is smooth. Cool completely. Cover and chill until ready to use.

Spread lemon curd in an even layer over top of cooled cheesecake. Place cheesecake on a large dish and chill uncovered for 2 hours. When lemon curd sets, run a knife around edge of cake to loosen from pan. Release pan latch and remove pan collar.
Place a paper doily on top of lemon curd. Sift powdered sugar evenly over doily. Remove doily to reveal powdered sugar design. Cut individual wedges from cheesecake and serve cold with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Store covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Makes 12 servings