Roasted Strawberry Caprese Pasta Salad with Basil Chiffonade, Fresh Mint, Mozzarella Pearls, Smoked Almonds, Shaved Red Onion, & Homemade Roasted Strawberry-White Balsamic-Poppy Seed Dressing

Roasted Strawberry Caprese Pasta Salad with Basil Chiffonade, Fresh Mint, Mozzarella Pearls, Smoked Almonds, Shaved Red Onion, & Homemade Roasted Strawberry-White Balsamic-Poppy Seed Dressing

Memorial Day is right around the corner. Who's excited? I am! Just another excuse to throw a party and cook yummy comfort food. What are y'all cooking? I normally make fried chicken or BBQ with a pasta salad or potato salad on the side. Most likely, it's always a potato salad. So, I decided to change it up a bit and make a sweet + savory pasta salad filled with fresh, summery ingredients. In the end, I knew I wanted to whip up a Caprese inspired dish, but with a slight twist. But, this Caprese salad wouldn't have no stinkin' tomatoes, it would have beautifully roasted strawberries instead. Yep, strawberry caprese salads are in... actually any fruit would work and it'd be absolutely delish. Oh by they way, roasting fruit is ah-may-zing. I do it almost every time I want to boost the fruity flavor of a component in any of my dishes. But, if you aren't feeling the whole roasting fruit thing, don't worry we added in some fresh strawberries as well. The remaining ingredients include the following: a whole mess of basil, mint, shaved red onion, smoked almonds, mozzarella pearls, & a homemade roasted strawberry-white balsamic-poppy seed dressing. I love poppy seed dressings because of their sweet nature, but also the sensation you get when popping them in your mouth. My take on a poppy seed dressing isn't thick, but more like a creamy vinaigrette. It is thinned out with a white balsamic reduction and boosted in flavor with some mashed, roasted strawberries. It really packs a delightful punch! This recipe would be ideal for any celebrations this weekend or perfect for a picnic!! Enjoy :)

For the Roasted Strawberries:

24oz Fresh Strawberries, Halved & Hulled

6T Maple Syrup

6T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1t Salt (a scant teaspoon)

3T Port

Homemade Balsamic Reduction

For the Roasted Strawberry-White Balsamic-Poppy Seed Dressing:

¼C White Balsamic Vinegar

1T Honey

 ¼C Mayo (or you can increase it to ½C for a creamier dressing)

1T Poppy Seeds

8oz Roasted Strawberries

Salt & Pepper, To Taste (and a pinch of sugar if needed)

For the Roasted Strawberry Caprese Pasta Salad:

1lb Pasta, Cooked Al Dente & Cooled

16oz Roasted Strawberries

8oz Fresh Strawberries, Halved & Hulled (this is optional, but I like the combination)

1 Bunch of Fresh Basil, Chiffonade (we like a whole mess of basil)

2T Fresh Mint, Minced

24oz Mozzarella Pearls

½C Red Onion, Thinly Shaved

1C Smoked Almonds, Roughly Chopped

Prepared Roasted Strawberry-White Balsamic-Poppy Seed Dressing

Directions:

1. For the Roasted Strawberries: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use two rimmed baking sheets and line them with a silpat or parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, olive oil, salt, and port until incorporated. Cut the strawberries in half and hull them. Place the strawberry pieces into the bowl with the maple syrup mixture and toss to cover the berries. Arrange the strawberries in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets. Roast for 30-45 minutes or until their juice begins to thicken, but do not burn. Gently scrape the strawberries into a boll and fold in the port and balsamic reduction.

2. For the Roasted Strawberry-White Balsamic-Poppy Seed Dressing: Add the white balsamic vinegar and honey to a small saucepan and cook to reduce for 5-10 minutes, or until thick and syrupy. Set this aside until ready to use. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayo and poppy seeds until they are fully incorporated. Slowly drizzle in the white balsamic reduction while whisking to form a smooth & slightly creamy dressing. Add in 8oz of the roasted strawberries and mash with a fork to break them up into small to medium pieces. Taste the dressing and season to taste, adding salt, pepper, sugar, or a splash of vinegar to taste if needed.

3. For the Pasta Salad: To the large bowl that has the dressing in it, add in the cooked pasta, roasted strawberries, fresh strawberries, basil Chiffonade, minced mint, mozzarella pearls, shaved red onions, and smoked almonds. Gently toss the ingredients together until the dressing has completely coated everything. Chill until you are ready to serve.

Soup Sunday: Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup with Mole Spiced Nuts & Lime Crema

Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup with Mole Spiced Nuts & Lime Crema

I have a love for sweet potatoes. I would live off of them for the rest of my life. A couple years back when I was in the hospital, all I wanted were sweet potatoes. Finally, when I was allowed to eat food, I made sweet potato soup for every single meal and enjoyed it for about 2 months. That's just not normal. So, this soup would go down as one of my favorites. This is obviously a little bit different from the last time I made it because it has chipotle peppers to make it extra spicy. Then, the soup is topped off with a nut crumble that is extra special because it has the sweet flavors from a traditional Mexican Mole sauce. For some acidity, it is drizzled with a Lime Crema and garnished with fresh chopped cilantro. This soup is spicy, sweet, and creamy and just warms you down to the core. So go on and make this for yourself and a cold, lazy Sunday!! Enjoy :)

For Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup:

4 Sweet Potatoes, Peeled & Cubed

3 Stalks of Celery, Diced

1 Large Vidalia Onion, Diced

4 Garlic Cloves, Minced

4C Chicken or Vegetable Stock

2C Heavy Cream

2-4 Chipotles in Adobo, Roughly Chopped

1t Cumin & Cinnamon

½t Ground Cloves & Ginger

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For Mole Spiced Nuts:

¼C Dark Brown Sugar

¼C Sugar 

2C Whole Nuts, Toasted (I used a mixture of Pecans, Walnuts, & Almonds)

1t Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

½t Cinnamon

½t Chipotle Powder & Paprika

Pinch of Cayenne

1 Egg White, Room Temperature

Salt & Pepper, To Taste (I did a good bit of salt for a sweet & salty combination)

For the Lime Crema:

8oz Mexican Crema or Sour Cream

2 Limes, Zested

1 Lime, Juiced

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

Directions:

1. For the Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup: In one large soup pot, sauté the onions, and celery in 2T melted butter for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook one more minute. Add the sweet potatoes, broth, chipotles, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg to the pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, for 30 minutes until potatoes are tender. Puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm or simmer until you are ready to serve.

2. For the Mole Spiced Nuts: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Mix together the sugars, salt & pepper, cocoa powder, cinnamon, chipotle powder, and cayenne, making sure there are no lumps. Set it aside. Beat the egg white until frothy and add in the toasted nuts, and toss until evenly coated. Sprinkle the nuts with the sugar-spice mixture and toss until evenly coated again. Spread the sugared nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet fitted with a Silpat. Bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. When completely cool, roughly chop the nuts and set aside until you are ready to garnish the soup.

3. For the Lime Crema: Mix together all of the ingredients in a bowl until incorporated and smooth. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

4. Serve the soup with a drizzle of Lime Crema and roughly chopped Mole Spiced nuts.

Glazed Funfetti Poundcake

Glazed Funfetti Poundcake

It's just one of those days, ya know? Where you need something happy to cheer you up. Or just sprinkles. Lots & lots of sprinkles. Don't they just make you smile? Such pretty little things they are. And I mean, there's nothing too crazy about this recipe. It's just a good 'ole poundcake recipe. Moist, sweet, and delicious. I based the recipe off of a classic sour cream poundcake, but I also added in some cream cheese and white chocolate chips for even more flavor. You can be like me and top it with a sugary glaze and more sprinkles. It's just better that way. Every day's your birthday when you eat it... I guarantee it!! Enjoy :)

For the Funfetti Poundcake:

2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter

4oz Cream Cheese, Softened

3C Sugar

1C Sour Cream

3C AP Flour

½t Baking Soda

½-1t Salt (depending on your taste)

6 Large Eggs

1t Vanilla

½t Almond Extract

½C White Chocolate Chips

1C Rainbow Sprinkles (heaping)

For the Glaze:

2C Confectioners’ Sugar, Sifted

3T Heavy Cream

1t Vanilla

Sprinkles, For Garnishing

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line two loaf pans with aluminum foil and spray with Pam. Set these pans aside.

2. For the Poundcake: In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the sour cream and mix until incorporated. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add this flour mixture in groups, alternating with the eggs, beating each egg one at time. Add in the vanilla and almond extract. Fold in the white chocolate chips and rainbow sprinkles until they are thoroughly incorporated. Pour the Poundcake batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake the Poundcakes for roughly 45 minutes to an hour each, depending on your oven. Remove the Poundcakes from the oven and allow them to cool in their pans for about 10 minutes, and then place them onto a cooling rack to allow them to cool completely to room temperature.

3. For the Glaze: Once the Poundcakes have completely cooled, whisk all of the glaze ingredients in a mixing bowl until smooth. Pour the glaze all over both cakes until completely covered. Garnish with extra sprinkles. Let the glaze harden before enjoying.

Birthday Cake Batter Cookies n' Cream Ice Cream

Birthday Cake Batter Cookies n' Cream Ice Cream

Another day... another ice cream recipe. Sadly, Summer is officially coming to a close. Yes, it's going to start to get cold, but with Autumn comes football games, Soup Sunday, movie nights & date nights, bonfires, pumpkin, apple cider, etc. So, in celebration of this hot weather, this will probably be one of the last ice cream recipes I make for a while... well, besides the occasional fall-themed custard. Anyway, I used to hate anything cake batter flavored, but suddenly it has intrigued me, and now I love it. At the beginning of the Summer, we actually make a cake batter ice cream that we just fell in love with. Well, when I saw the new Birthday Cake Oreo's at the grocery store, I need I just had to make a birthday cake flavored-cookies n' cream ice cream. It's a homemade birthday cake base, yep... you heard me right, no cake box mix here. And then it is filled with big ole' chunks of Birthday Cake Oreo's and lots of rainbow sprinkles. And why is it pink you ask? Well because I just felt like it. I mean, pink makes every thing better. But, feel free to discard the food dye and leave it plain... or you could dye it your favorite color. This ice cream is thick, smooth, and utterly creamy. And I put a whole bunch of Oreo's in there for good measure. Also, I personally like to wait a day or so before I eat the ice cream, so that the Oreo's soften a touch. But, that's really up to you!! Enjoy :)

That's one crazy concoction...

For the Cake Batter Cookies & Cream Ice Cream:

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Melted & Cooled Slightly

2 ½C Heavy Cream

½C Milk

6 Egg Yolks

1C Sugar

2T Dry Milk Powder & AP Flour, Sifted

½t Salt (heaping… or just a tad bit more to taste)

1 ½t Vanilla

¼t Almond Extract (scant… or a little less)

1T Vanilla Bean Rum (or any kind of infused booze, preferably clear)

25 Birthday Cake Oreos, Roughly Chopped

½C Rainbow Sprinkles

Any Food Coloring, Optional (I chose pink because it’s pretty)

Directions:

1. For the Custard Base: In a saucepan, bring the cream and milk to a simmer. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, sifted dry milk powder & AP Flour, and salt until fluffy. Slowly whisk in the melted butter. Once combined, gradually and slowly into the simmering heavy cream-milk mixture. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, until thickened (it should coat the back of a spoon). Strain the custard into a bowl that is placed into an ice bath. Stir in the vanilla extract, almond extract, and vanilla bean rum. Cool the custard base until completely chilled. If you are going to add in food coloring, this is the time. Whisk in as many drops of food coloring into the chilled custard base until you have reached your desired color. Once you have reached your desired color, pour this chilled custard base into the ice cream maker.   

2.  Once the mixture is chilled, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Chop the Birthday Cake Oreos into small chunks. As soon as the mixture is done churning, transfer to a bowl or airtight container and stir in the chopped Oreos and the rainbow sprinkles (layer some chopped Oreos and sprinkles throughout). Store in the freezer until firm.  

Homemade Java Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches with Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans & Chocolate Macaron Cookies

Homemade Java Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches with Chocolate Covered 

Espresso Beans & Chocolate Macaron Cookies 

I'm finally done with Summer school, yayyyyyy :) I know I was supposed to post a recipe yesterday, but I had my final day of class and I was just super busy. And to top all of that, I have a really bad ear infection. So bad that it's causing me to have vertigo, meaning I can barely move without passing out or getting nauseated. Great way to celebrate being done, right? Nope. But, I have a recipe for y'all today and I'll post another one tomorrow... make sure to check back! 


Anyway, it's as hot as the dickens outside, which automatically causes me to crave ice cream. And I really love to make ice cream, it's just so much fun and the flavor combinations are endless. Lately though, I have been really wanting to make coffee ice cream. I would say that's one of my top three favorite flavors. Especially Starbucks' Java Chip. I crave that smooth coffee flavor with the bits of dark chocolate studded throughout the container. But, being a coffee fanatic, I knew that when I decided to make my own homemade version of Java Chip that I had to make it with a stronger coffee flavor...


By the way, have y'all ever been to a Starbucks and you just happen to be behind the really annoying person who has a million different requests for their coffee? 


That person you hate...
That person who takes 10 minutes to order...
That person who causes you to be late to work...


Yep, I'm that person. sorry, i'm not sorry.


The barista practically has to write a novel on the side of my cup. It's always a "grande skinny vanilla latte-in a venti-sized cup-with soy milk-split quad shots (or two shots of decaf, two shots of regular espresso)-extra hot-extra foam" for me. Wow, did that drink order even make sense? Probably not, yet they rarely ever mess it up. The one thing that I find hilarious about Starbucks is that they can never, ever get my name right. I mean, they almost always spell my name wrong. My name is not conventional by any means, I totally get that. I have lived with this name my whole life, so I'm used to it being butchered. It is spelled like Juliana, but pronounced like Julie-Anna. However, whenever I go to pick up my drink, I have something bizarre written on the cup... I've gotten Joanne, Judy Anne, Penelope, and even Napoleon. Really Starbucks barista? You think my name is honestly Napoleon? Do I really look like a boy and how does that sound remotely close to Juliana. I do not make this stuff up. Oh well, as long as I get my $10 drink, you can call me whatever you want, honey. Okay, so back to the recipe...


This homemade Java Chip ice cream is like a strong cup of coffee. The frozen custard base is infused with whole coffee beans, and then, for good measure, I added in crushed chocolate covered espresso beans. This just enhances the coffee flavor even more, while also giving it a much needed sweetness. I finely chopped some dark chocolate to throw in there too. After I made this ice cream, I instantly wanted to turn it into an ice cream sandwich. And I had been dying to make French Macarons, so I used those as the cookie sandwich component. I made them with the traditional, ground almond mixture, but made them chocolate. Because you always gotta have more chocolate, people. Mo'chocolate, Mo'problems. That was cheesy. Oh well, it doesn't make it any less delicious. The macarons are perfectly chewy, yet utterly crispy. The ice cream is creamy, bitter, and sweet. Just like a great cup of coffee should be. This is one perfect Summer treat, y'all!! Enjoy :)

For the Java Chip Ice Cream:

1 ½C Whole Milk

¾C Sugar

1 ½C Whole Coffee Beans

Pinch of Sea Salt

1 ½C Heavy Cream, Divided

5 Large Egg Yolks

¼t Vanilla

1T Coffee Liqueur

¼t Finely Ground Coffee (press grinds through a fine mesh sieve)

½C Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans, Whole & Crushed

4oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate, Finely Chopped

For the Chocolate Macaron Cookies:

1 ½C Whole Almonds

2 ½C Confectioners’ Sugar

3T Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

¾C Egg Whites, Room Temperature

¼t Fine Sea Salt

½C + 2T Sugar

For the Ice Cream Sandwiches:

1 Batch of Java Chip Ice Cream, Slightly Softened

12 Chocolate Macaron Cookies

Directions:

1. Heat the milk, sugar, whole coffee beans, salt, and ½C of the cream in a medium saucepan until it is quite warm and steamy, but not boiling. Once the mixture is warm, cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.
2. Pour the remaining 1C of cream into a medium size metal bowl, set on ice over a larger bowl. Set a mesh strainer on top of the bowls. Set aside.
3. Reheat the milk and coffee mixture, on medium heat, until again hot and steamy (not boiling!). In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks together. Slowly pour the heated milk and coffee mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly so that the egg yolks are tempered by the warm milk, but not cooked by it. Scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
4. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof, flat-bottomed spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula so that you can run your finger across the coating and have the coating not run. This can take about 10 minutes.
5. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Press on the coffee beans in the strainer to extract as much of the coffee flavor as possible. Then discard the beans. Mix in the vanilla and finely ground coffee, and stir until cool.
6. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator and add in the crushed chocolate covered espresso beans and chocolate chunks, and then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
7. For the Macaron Sandwiches: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 3-inch cookie cutter as a guide, trace 12 circles on the parchment paper. Turn the paper over. Grind the nuts with ¼C confectioners’ sugar in a food processor until a fine nut flour forms (do not let it become a paste). Add the remaining 2 ¼C confectioners’ sugar and pulse until incorporated. If necessary, strain the mixture through a sieve and discard any large pieces of nuts. Whip the egg whites and salt in a bowl of a standing mixer with the whisk attachment until frothy. While the mixer is still running, slowly add the sugar 1T at a time, and whip until the meringue is shiny and holds medium peaks, about 5 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the almond mixture one-third at a time until thoroughly combined. Add in your desired food coloring. Fit a pastry bag with a ¼-inch plain tip and fill the bag halfway with the batter. Holding the bag upright, pipe the macarons inside the traced circles in a spiral, beginning in the center of the circle and working your way outward. Let the cookies sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to dry. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and bake the cookies for 18-20 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through, until they have risen slightly and look crisp and set on top. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Slide the parchment sheet of macarons onto another cookie sheet and freeze. Once they have frozen transfer to a freezer bag.
8. To Assemble the Sandwiches: Using a 4inch round cookie cutter, scoop softened ice cream into the cookie cutter and using a spoon, press the ice cream into the mold and smooth off the top until it is an even layer. Push the ice cream patty out of the cookie cutter-mold and onto parchment paper. Place into the freezer to harden back up. Next, lie out 6 frozen macarons upside down on a work surface and top each macaron with an ice cream, and then top with another frozen macaron. Gently press the cookies together until the ice cream comes to the edges of the macarons. Wrap in wax paper and freeze. You should have 6 large ice cream sandwiches. You can also just use an ice cream scoop and scoop it onto the sandwiches and press them together. They will not look as pretty, but it will be a lot faster. 

source: coffee ice cream. jeni's splendid ice creams at home.

Festive White Chocolate-Cherry Shortbread Cookies

The Christmas cookie marathon continues... second up are Festive White Chocolate-Cherry Shortbread Cookies. I have mentioned before of my obsession with Pinterest. And I will urge all of y'all to go get an account because I assure you people that it is more addictive than Facebook. So just do it. Well, I have seen  this recipe for white chocolate-cherry shortbread floating around titled as "the best Christmas cookie", and that simply screams to me that I needed to make these. And so I did. I had to put my little twist on it and I wasn't quite sure what that would be until I arrived at the grocery store and saw green maraschino cherries. I suddenly thought that I should make red & green cookie dough and combine them together to make a super festive cookie (unlike the plain red cookie that I had seen). The cookies were perfectly buttery and sweet from the white chocolate. The only complaint I had was that they did not have enough cherry flavor, which I think could be solved by adding some cherry syrup or extract. So definitely give that a go if you want stronger fruit flavor. Also, the dough is extremely crumbly and tough at first, but just keep working it and it will come together. Otherwise, we enjoyed these cookies a lot and they were a nice added surprise to my Christmas cookie recipes!! Enjoy :)

The two doughs rolled together

Ready to be baked!

Decorating the cookies 

Red, white, & green 

Lots & lots of sprinkles

The finished product

Festive White Chocolate-Cherry Shortbread Cookies

For the Red Cookies:

¾C Red Maraschino Cherries, Drained & Finely Chopped

2 ½C AP Flour

½C Sugar

1C Butter, Very Cold

2/3C White Chocolate, Finely Chopped

½t Almond Extract (or cherry extract)

Red Food Coloring

For the Green Cookies:

¾C Green Maraschino Cherries, Drained & Finely Chopped

2 ½C AP Flour

½C Sugar

1C Butter, Very Cold

2/3C White Chocolate, Finely Chopped

½t Almond Extract (or cherry extract)

Green Food Coloring

For Decoration:

16oz White Chocolate, Finely Chopped

4t Shortening

Sprinkles & Glitter, For Decorating

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and spread cherries on a paper towel to drain well.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in drained cherries and 4 ounces (2/3 cup) of the chopped chocolate. Stir in almond extract and, if desired, food coloring. Knead mixture until it forms a smooth ball. Repeat with the same ingredients to make the green dough.
3. Place both doughs onto parchment paper or plastic wrap and form to halves of a round log. Place the doughs on top of each other and press together. Roll the dough into a smooth, long log again and wrap tightly. Place into the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes to an hour. 
4. Once chilled, cut the dough into thin, even slices and place about 2 inches a part on a baking sheet that is lined with a silpat or parchment paper.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until centers are set. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool.
6. In a small saucepan, combine remaining 8 ounces white chocolate and the shortening. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Dip half of each cookie into chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. If desired, roll dipped edge in sprinkles and/or edible glitter. Place the cookies on waxed paper until chocolate is set.

Chocolate Covered-Mixed Nut Brittle

I have to keep this short & sweet because today is the boyfriend & I's four year anniversary :) I can't believe we have been together this long! Madness. Anyway, so we have been busy all day with lovin' on each other & all. So, here's a quick post for Chocolate Covered-Mixed Nut Brittle. It is inspired from that amazing cake, Banana Brittle Caramel Cake with Nutella Buttercream, that I made a while ago. I couldn't get over how good that brittle was, so I had to make it again. But this time double it, and add more nuts, salt, & chocolate. This makes a whole bunch (I really mean it), so you can easily half it and still have enough to last you a while. I just figured I'd make enough while I could! I'll post recipes & pictures from our anniversary celebration later on this weekend! Enjoy :)

Chocolate Covered-Mixed Nut Brittle

For the Brittle:

4C Sugar

1C Water

2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter

2/3C Light Corn Syrup

1t Baking Soda

Pinch of Cinnamon

¼C Cashews, Pecans, Peanuts, Almonds, & Walnuts (each)

2C Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, Melted

Fleur de Sel, For Sprinkling

Directions:

1. To Make the Mixed-Nut Brittle Crumble: In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, water, butter, and corn syrup and bring it to a boil. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the caramel is a light brown color and registers to 300 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully stir in the baking soda and a pinch of cinnamon. The mixture will bubble. Stir in the nuts, and then immediately scrape the brittle onto two large rimmed, non-stick baking sheets. Using the back of a spoon, spread the brittle into a thin, even layer on each pan. Sprinkle the brittle with some fleur de sel let it cool completely, about 30 minutes.
2. Covering the Brittle: Spread the melted semi-sweet chocolate on top of the brittle in a smooth even layer. Sprinkle some more fleur de sel on top of the chocolate and let the chocolate slightly cool by placing in the refrigerator to chill. Break the brittle into large shards. 
3. Keep cold in the refrigerator until ready to serve. 

Revamped: Even Better Almond Poundcake with Creamy Almond Glaze

Okay, okay... I know I have already posted a recipe for Almond Poundcake with an Almond Glaze. Shame on me. I really liked my other recipe... until I made this cake. My first recipe was just not almond-y enough for me because I really love a lot of almond flavoring. So if you want just a nicely flavored almond poundcake then I would go with the first recipe, seen here. But, if you want a super moist (and I mean really really REALLY moist) poundcake with an amazing almond flavor then this is the best recipe ever. When I say "Even Better Almond Poundcake", I really wanted to say "The Best", but I refrained. The main ingredient that provides so much flavor & moisture is the Almond Cake & Pastry Filling that I found as I was reaching for the Almond Paste. This filling blends so much better into the cake batter, where the paste stayed in chunks, making the batter lumpy. So you definitely need the almond filling to really achieve a great, moist texture. Also, I bought some whole almonds and processed them into an almond meal, which gives a nice little bite to the soft cake. However, almond flour could be substituted for the almond meal. Anyway, give this recipe a try (for all you almond lovers out there) because you really will love this over-the-top flavor. The poundcake is even delicious without the decadent glaze poured over the top (so you can leave that out if you don't want it as sweet).

Even Better Almond Poundcake with Creamy Almond Glaze

Slices of Amazing Almond Poundcake

Look at that Creamy Dreamy Almond Glaze

For the Poundcake:

2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Softened

1 Package of Cream Cheese, Softened

½C Almond Cake & Pastry Filling 

1 ½C Sugar

4 Eggs

1t Vanilla

1t Almond Extract

1 ½C AP Flour

½C Almond Meal

1 ½t Baking Powder

1t Salt

For the Almond Glaze:

2C Confectioners’ Sugar, Sifted

¼C Almond Cake & Pastry Filling

6T Milk

1t Almond Extract

½t Vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and spray a bundt pan with Pam, and then set aside.

2. In a mixer, cream together the butter, cream cheese, and almond filling. Pour in the sugar and mix until fluffy and smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing each one until it is incorporated before adding the next egg. Then add in the almond extract and vanilla extract. 

3. While ingredients are mixing, whisk together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add this flour mixture into the wet mixture. Mix until just incorporated. 

4. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake the cake for roughly an hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before pouring on the glaze.

5. To make the glaze: combine the confectioners’ sugar, almond filling, milk, almond extract, and vanilla in a bowl and whisk until it is completely combined and smooth. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake. Let the glaze harden for 15-20 minutes before you cut and serve.

6. Enjoy!

I could eat that glaze with a spoon...

source: fallen almond poundcake.

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