Favorite Holiday Recipes

Apple Butter Poptarts

Biscoli

Orange-Biscoff Crumm Cake

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Cranberry Coffee-Shop Bars

Roasted Pumpkin Five-Spice Ice Cream

Apple Pie Tartlets ala Mode, Gluten-Free and Vegan

Easy Fudge Pie with Whiskey-Pecan Ice Cream

Honey-Walnut Pie

Amazing Pumpkin Tartlets, Vegan and Gluten-Free

Pumpkin-Spice Granola

Malibu Mojito Cupcakes

Ah, the mojito. Its refreshing combination of lime and mint beckons me back to South Florida, transporting me to sunny Miami beaches and laid-back Key West bars.

Mojitos are usually made with plain white rum, but (as you can read in this post from 2012) that is not typically available in Casa de Crumm. Coconut rum is my poison of choice for daiquiris, pina coladas, and, yes, our friend the mojito.

So that is what you'll find in this cocktail-inspired cupcake. A subtle kiss of coconut complements the flavors of mint and lime ever so nicely, making this one bar-born confection I simply can't stop craving.

Fresh mint leaves are processed with sugar to permeate the cake batter, and more fresh mint is steeped in heavy cream to enliven a whipped white-chocolate ganache icing. A delightfully tart homemade lime curd fills the center of the cakes for a high-impact flavor combination that sends me straight to the Keys.

As you can see from the photos, I have a tendency to overfill the muffin cups. This recipe will produce enough batter for about 18 standard-sized cupcakes, or 12 that look like these. Personally, I don't mind a little crunch around the edges, but if you're feeling like a cupcake perfectionist, don't overfill the muffin cups!

Also, if you are used to making cakes by the creaming method, this recipe is going to sound totally wack. But trust me. Mixing the oil into the dry ingredients first helps coat the flour with fat to keep gluten formation to a minimum, producing that elusive, tender-crumb texture that's not too dense and not too light.

Malibu Mojito Cupcakes

~for the cake~
11 oz granulated sugar
1/3 cup (loosely packed) fresh mint leaves
8 oz all-purpose flour
2 oz cornstarch
1 T baking powder
3/4 tsp kosher salt (Morton or another coarse variety)
2 fl.oz vegetable oil
2 oz unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
6 fl.oz whole milk
2 fl.oz Malibu coconut rum
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs

~for the icing~
5 fl.oz, plus 4 T heavy whipping cream, divided
1/3 cup (loosely packed) fresh mint leaves
10 oz chopped white chocolate
1 T Malibu coconut rum

~for the filling~
1 cup homemade lime curd

Make the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place muffin liners in each cup of a standard 12-cup muffin pan (and line an extra pan with 6-or-so liners if you don't want to overfill your muffin cups).

If you need to rinse your mint leaves, pat them very dry between two kitchen towels. Excess water will not be your friend.

Process the mint and sugar in a food processor for about two minutes or until completely integrated.

In a large mixing bowl (the one that comes with your electric stand mixer if that's what you'll be using) thoroughly whisk together (by hand) the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in the mint-sugar, and then switch to an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, beat in the oil until the mixture looks quite sandy. Add the softened butter a tablespoon at a time, continuing to beat on low while you prepare the wet ingredients.

In a clean bowl (preferably one with a spout), thoroughly whisk together the milk, rum, vanilla, and eggs. Increase the mixer speed slightly, and slowly stream the wet mixture into the flour mixture, beating just till well-incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to give the mixture one final stir by hand before distributing batter among the prepared muffin liners.

Bake the cupcakes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean. Let the cakes cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then completely on a cooling rack before filling and frosting.

Make the Icing:
Place the white chocolate in the bowl of an electric mixer and set aside.

Place 5 fl.oz of cream, along with the mint leaves, in a small saucepan over low heat.

Stir frequently, crushing the leaves to release their oils, for about 20 minutes or until the leaves look very dark and the cream looks pale green.

Strain the cream into the bowl with the white chocolate and discard the mint leaves. Mix on low speed using the paddle attachment until the white chocolate is totally melted and the mixture has cooled considerably. Increase the speed to medium and add 1 tablespoon of the remaining cream at a time, beating well between each addition. Increase speed to med-high and beat until fluffy and voluminous. With the mixer on, very gradually stream in the coconut rum.

Fill and frost the cakes:
Make a little well in the center of each cupcake for the filling. I used a cannoli mold--my daughter got a kick out of blowing the cake "cork" out of the mold and into her waiting hands--but a pairing knife would work just fine.

Place the lime curd in a piping bag fitted with a medium-sized tip, or zip-top bag with about 1/4-inch snipped off one of the bottom corners, and pipe the curd into each cupcake.

Transfer the whipped white-chocolate ganache to a pastry bag and pipe onto the tops of the cupcakes.

Serve immediately or store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Allow the cupcakes to warm completely to room temperature (at least 1 hour) before serving.

Thanks for reading. Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life!

Banana Rum Cobbler

When I think about my perfect dessert, this hits so many of my ideals, it's almost unfair to compare it to anything else.

Then again, I am a huge sucker for bananas, a wild mix of textures, and rummy, caramel goo.

I've written before about my kind of cobbler (cherry, peach), which is basically a buckle. A buckle is so-called because it is essentially a cake that it is buckled with little gorges of bubbly, fruity goodness.

It is a somewhat similar look to the "cobbled" appearance of fruit bubbling up amidst a topping of rounded biscuits--or what I like to call the other type of cobbler.

Whatever you call it, this version takes an old standby out of its Southern-comfort zone and into the tropics with the addition of bananas and rum. Oh my!

Fair warning: Hoosband says this cobbler cannot be served without the requisite vanilla ice cream--something about cloying sweetness, blah, blah, blah. I, however, almost feel like the ice cream just gets in the way. Also, I may have literally licked the bowl. But that's just me.

Banana Rum Cobbler

6 T salted butter
1 1/3 cups brown sugar, divided
1/4 cup spiced rum (I use Sailor Jerry's)
2 semi-ripe bananas, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt (coarse texture, like Morton)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk

Place the butter in a 9-inch glass pie dish or pan of comparable volume and let melt in the oven while it preheats to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Meanwhile, add 2/3 cup brown sugar and rum to a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring with a heatproof spatula just to dissolve the sugar. Add the sliced bananas, bring to a gentle boil, and cook one minute, using the spatula to stir occasionally, just so the bananas get evenly coated. Set aside.

Remove the pie dish from the oven and gently tilt the dish and swirl the butter so it completely coats the bottom. Set aside.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to make a well in the center of the dry mixture, pour the milk into the well, and stir just until there are no visible dry patches. Mixture may be lumpy.

Scrape the batter into the dish, right over the melted butter, and do not stir.

Pour the banana mixture evenly over the top of the batter, and do not stir.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes or till golden, bubbly, and just set, rotating the dish halfway through. The cobbler should be cake-y on top, crunchy around the edges, and pocketed with tender bananas and gooey caramel-rum sauce.

Serve warm or room temperature with vanilla ice cream. Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to three days and microwaved for 20-30 seconds to reheat.

Thanks for reading. Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life!

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Any good food (recipe) blog has three essential elements:

1. Decent writing.

2. Good recipes.

And the bane of this blog's existence,

3. Drool-worthy photos.

I am so not a photographer, but I never knew quite how much skill I lacked until I started blogging. 

With the help of online tutorials and guidance in the form of Foodgawker rejections, my skills have gone from nonexistent to adequate, but photos definitely remain the "work" of this food-blogging hobby. 

Case in point? For a recent post on MotherEarthNews.com, I scrolled through 65 sticky toffee pudding photos over and over for two days of toddler naps, narrowing them down little by little until I finally shrugged my shoulders and went for what I hoped was a winning closeup. 

Not sure if I picked the best one, but, boy, did I get hungry in the process.

Here are a few of the finalists that didn't make the cut.

If you found those at all drool-inducing, be sure to grab the Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe from Mother Earth News, and feel free to let me know if you think I picked the glamour shot.

Desires of the Heart

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. --Psalm 37:4

I have been a Christian for most of my life--sometimes in label more than lifestyle. Lately I have been trying to get back into the Word and let it be a path I actually stick to rather than a tattered banner I halfheartedly fly. 

No matter my good intentions, however, verses like Psalm 37:4 trip me up. 

I always read them like a promise that if I can just manage to get on God's "good girl" list, then he will start checking off items on my wishlist--you know, with a stomach that shakes like a bowl full of jelly. 

The problem with this lovely image is that it never rang true. 

I'd let it make me feel appropriately warm and fuzzy and then shove any actual attempt at understanding it into the places of my mind reserved for advanced math and ballroom dancing, to let it get thoroughly coated in cobwebs. 

But now, like college pre-cal on my third go-round, I finally get it. 

When my desire is for the Lord, and that is where I find my delight, my desires change. He will give me the desires of my heart because when I am truly delighting in Him, His desires will become my desires. 

When my husband and I got married, I would have sworn from Miami to Seattle that I would NEVER drive a mini van. 

But my husband, or the voice of reason, as his business cards should say, was determined that a minivan was the best vehicle for our growing family. 

He would describe a minivan's utility and cost compared to smaller/larger/other choices with such enthusiasm and excitement that he made it sound like not only the smartest choice, but the awesomest option by far.

I took so much delight in listening to him get all excited about the merits of a decidedly soccer-mom car, that his desires became my desires. And you know what? I have never loved another vehicle as much as I love my minivan. 

When I delight in God, He might not give me the frivolous, fast-car desires that were on my heart before, but He will work in my heart to make me want what He wants for me more than I could ever have imagined. 

Chocolate Saucepan Cookies

I love chocolate in just about any form or fashion--except chalky-dry chocolate cakes or other treats that seem to be chocolate in name only. I pretty much want to be hit over the head with chocolate flavor.

That, my friends, is what these cookies deliver.

Made with almond meal instead of flour, they are effortlessly gluten free and have a delightfully mealy texture almost reminiscent of moist, cakey cornbread.

About as easy to throw together as cookies from a mix, Saucepan Cookies are so called because the ingredients are all mixed up in the saucepan used to melt the chocolate, butter, and sugar.

For the best and deepest chocolate flavor, use a chocolate with a cacao content of at least 60%. Flavored chocolates can add subtle interest as well. I particularly love these cookies made with 1.5 oz Green and Black's Organic Ginger Dark Chocolate and 2.5 oz Green and Black's Organic Maya Gold Dark Chocolate (both 60% cacao). The Maya Gold chocolate is flavored with notes of orange and spices, and the Ginger has flecks of crystallized ginger throughout. I love the combination of chocolate and spices, but plain dark chocolate will work equally well if you want to keep it simple.

Chocolate Saucepan Cookies
4 oz dark chocolate
4 oz salted butter (I prefer Kerrygold)
3 oz sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 oz almond flour (aka almond meal)
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Melt the chocolate, butter, and sugar together in a medium-sized saucepan over med-low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and thoroughly stir in the salt, vanilla, and almond flour/meal, allowing the mixture to cool a bit.  Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring to fully incorporate. Use a small-to-medium-sized cookie scoop to transfer blobs of dough to the parchment, spacing about two inches apart.

Bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes. Allow to cool 1-2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring the whole sheet of parchment to a cooling rack to cool completely. These cookies are best after resting for at least 30 minutes and are even better the next day. Store in an airtight bag or container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Thanks for reading! Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life.

Lively Blueberry Lemon Smoothie

On a recent trip to Nashville, Oia and I popped into a new juice bar for a little mid-morning snack and shared an amazing smoothie of blueberries, lemon, bananas and cashews.

The smoothie was so filling and refreshing I continued craving its deliciousness long after I left Music City.

This is my version. With blueberries as a colorful, antioxidant-rich base, lemon for invigorating freshness, bananas for sweetness, and cashews for satisfying richness and healthy, filling heft, this is one smoothie that won't leave you crashing from a fruit-only sugar rush.

Lively Blueberry Lemon Smoothie

juice from 2 large lemons
1/4 cup raw cashews
1 (generous) cup frozen blueberries (preferably organic)
1 banana, sliced and frozen

Place all ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend until completely smooth. Pour into serving glass and enjoy.

Serves 1.

Thanks for reading! Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life.

Texas Ruby Red Sparkler (non-alcoholic)

Aside from a good margarita or mojito, I've never been much of a hard liquor gal. Beer or wine, yes; Jack and Coke, no.

Nevertheless, there's something about being pregnant in the summer that brings out hardcore cocktail-envy in me. 

Last Sunday we spent the afternoon working in the garden and preparing an admittedly massive Father's Day feast for Hoosband, and between the Texas heat and the general sense of festivity, I knew my standard jug of water wasn't going to cut it. 

We had just picked up some 100% Texas ruby red grapefruit juice, so I grabbed one of the frosty mason jars Hoosband likes to stash in the freezer for his weekend libations and poured half grapefruit juice and half sparkling water over a mound of glistening ice cubes. 

Perfection.

Hoosband wanted one, too--spiked with Texas' own Tito's Handmade Vodka--so I slipped a rubber band around the neck of mine to avoid any confusion. 

Whether cocktail or mocktail, this is one refreshing bev I'll be sipping on all summer. 

Thanks for reading! Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life.

Cappuccino Cheesecake

Human nature is such a funny thing. Why is it that when we know we can't have something, we want it that much more?

When I found out I was pregnant, I gave up coffee. Yes, I know it's considered safe to have one cup a day, but that's like telling an alcoholic to just have one drink--this would have to be an all or nothing approach. The withdrawals weren't too bad because I'd been slowly weening myself off the strong stuff in hopeful anticipation of that little pink plus sign, and for the first few months, I didn't miss it much at all.

Once morning sickness subsided and hunger was renewed, however, I began experiencing severe coffee envy every Sunday when my husband's fragrant mug wafted tantalizing aromas from the cup-holder next to mine on the way to church. Such a bummer.

I'd been craving cheesecake like crazy, too. Now cheesecake, as long as it's been cooked through and is fairly fresh, is not so much a pregnancy no-no. But I am lactose intolerant, and while not as bad as downing a glass of milk on an empty stomach, cheesecake has been known to make my tummy rumble both before and after consumption. Double bummer.

After a few weeks of experimenting with goat-cheese cheesecakes and ordering decaf soy lattes (both totally delicious but not entirely craving-curbing), I finally decided I had to risk a little tummy trouble and give in.

A cappuccino-inspired cheesecake was the answer to both callings, and it did not disappoint. With less than one serving of coffee spread among eight servings of cheesecake, I get all the flavor and none of the worry. And as for my lactose issues, well, that's my incentive not to eat all eight servings at once.

Cappuccino Cheesecake
8 oz plain chocolate sandwich cookies (I used Newman's Own, but homemade would be excellent as well)
2 T butter, melted
10 oz full-fat cream cheese, softened at room temperature for at least 30 minutes
1/2 cup freshly brewed, dark-roast coffee or espresso
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
whipped cream, cocoa powder, and ground cinnamon for garnish

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Very lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 6-inch springform pan, and wrap the pan in a double layer of aluminum foil so that the foil comes up just under the outside rim of the pan, not extending to the inside.

Place the chocolate sandwich cookies in a food processor and process into fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and process or pulse to combine, making sure to scrape around the bottom at least once for even mixing. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan. Set aside.

Beat the softened cream cheese until completely smooth, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary to ensure even beating. With the mixer on med-low speed, VERY GRADUALLY stream in the warm coffee, pausing to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl about halfway through. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and beat until there are no visible lumps. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, just until completely incorporated.

Pour the cream cheese mixture into the prepared crust and place the springform pan inside a tall-sided roasting pan. Very carefully add enough water to the roasting pan so that it comes about halfway up the sides of the springform pan--be sure not to splash any water into the cheesecake.

Bake for 55 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow the cheesecake to remain inside the turned-off oven as it cools (at least one hour, up to two).

Very carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven and lift the springform pan out onto a dry kitchen towel. Gently unwrap and discard the foil. Place a dry paper towel over the top of the pan (not touching the surface of the cheesecake) and cover with a clean sheet of foil. Place in the fridge to chill until serving, at least one hour, up to five days.

To garnish, dollop or pipe little stars of freshly whipped cream (sweetened to taste with powdered sugar and vanilla) over the top of the cheesecake. Place about 1/4 tsp cocoa powder and a dash of ground cinnamon in a fine mesh sieve and gently dust over the whipped cream.

Serves approximately 8.

Thanks for reading! Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life.