Jamie Oliver Strikes AGAIN. Fantastico! My first ever cupcake and they rock.

14oz Butternut Squash

1 2/3 C Brown Sugar

4 Eggs

1/2 tsp Salt

1 1/3 C Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Cinnamon

12 TBLS. Olive Oil

handful Walnuts (optional)

preheat oven to 350 F

Chop raw Squash roughly and blend or process the heck out of them down to

tiny bits. Add sugar, eggs, salt, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, olive oil

and walnuts and process/blend til smoth.

Fill cupcake paper things 3/4 full. Bake 20 minutes.

(that’s what he said, but I didn’t find it to be enough time. Check to see

if done by putting a clean knife into the middle of ye olde cupcake and it

should come out clean - I went another 10 minutes).

Let cool 10 minutes before Icing.

Sour Cream Icing

Mandarin (I used orange) Zest

Lemon Zest

1/2 Lemon juice

2/3 C sour cream

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

4 TBLS confectioner Sugar

Mix, taste, add zest/sour cream or sugar to taste.

So, my mother in law gave us a sourdough “mother” and now I have to figure

out how to keep it alive. It’s like having a dog. But nothing like it. It’s

like having a kid and forgetting to feed it. No it’s not. I do have to say

it has the consistency of a chocolate chip scone… good stuff!

1/4 c. butter

1/4 c. shortening (you can substitute butter, 1 for 1, but NOT margarine. I

guess there’s water in Margerine).

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. white sugar

1 egg

1 c. sourdough starter

1 tsp. vanilla

3 c. flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Chocolate chips

Combine sugar, shortening, add eggs, sourdough, vanilla. In another bowl mix

flour, baking powder, soda, add chocolate chips. Combine all ingredients in

a large bowl. Mix well, let rest 15 minutes. Shape into walnut-sized balls.

Flatten. Pre-heat oven to 375  - Place on greased cookie sheet and bake for

10-15 minutes. Cool slightly before taking off cookie sheet. Makes 4 dozen

small. 2 dozen big.

An Original Recipe from Rachel Rappaport @ www.CoconutLime.blogspot.comor http://tinyurl.com/3y4dvr

Ingredients:

4 oz semisweet chocolate chips PLUS 6 oz semisweet chocolate chips1/3 cup all-purpose flour1/3 cup dark brown sugar2 tablespoons butter1 teaspoon vanilla extract1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/4 teaspoon salt1 egg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line with parchment paper, use a Silpat, or grease one cookie sheet. In a small pot, melt together 4 oz chocolate and butter, mix until smooth. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, beat together egg, brown sugar, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in melted chocolate. Mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in the remaining chocolate chips. Drop 12 tablespoons of dough evenly placed about 1 1/2 inches apart onto the lined cookie sheet. Bake, until cookies are crackly, about 12 minutes. The cookies should still be soft. Do not over bake. Cool on sheets until about 95% cool then carefully transfer the cookies to racks to cool completely.Yield: One dozen cookies

4 egg whites

¼ tsp cream of tartar

1 cup fine sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract (or almond extract)

Optional - Lemon or orange zest

Preheat oven to 250 F

In large bowl, beat egg white on low speed until they are frothy. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until the whites form soft peaks. Add the sugar very, very slowly so that the egg whites can incorporate it. Continue beating until the sugar is dissolved and white, shiny peaks form. Beat the vanilla in last, but also slowly. At this point you can add you zest very slowly as well.Cover cookie sheet with baking parchment (wax paper). You can either spoon drop the mixture onto the sheet or use a pastry bag to put on the cookie sheet.

Bake 1 hour

Leave the meringue in the oven for an additional hour with the heat turned off and the oven door closed.

Makes – 24 cookies

Don’t be tempted to substitute all-purpose flour for the cake flour, as doing so will make a dry, tough cake. If you can’t find buttermilk, you can substitute an equal amount of plain, low-fat yogurt. When topping the cake, take care to not push the crumbs into the batter. This recipe can be easily doubled and baked in a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. If doubling, increase the baking time to about 45 minutes. Cooled leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Serves 8 to 10

1. FOR THE TOPPING: Whisk sugars, cinnamon, salt, and butter in medium bowl to combine. Add flour and stir with rubber spatula or wooden spoon until mixture resembles thick, cohesive dough; set aside to cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes. 2. FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Cut 16-inch length parchment paper or aluminum foil and fold lengthwise to 7-inch width. Spray 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and fit parchment into dish, pushing it into corners and up sides; allow excess to overhang edges of dish. 3. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt on low speed to combine. With mixer running at low speed, add butter one piece at a time; continue beating until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no visible butter chunks remaining, 1 to 2 minutes. Add egg, yolk, vanilla, and buttermilk; beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping once if necessary. 4. Transfer batter to baking pan; using rubber spatula, spread batter into even layer. Following photos below, break apart crumb topping into large pea-sized pieces and spread in even layer over batter, beginning with edges and then working toward center. Bake until crumbs are golden and wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack at least 30 minutes. Remove cake from pan by lifting parchment overhang. Dust with confectioners’ sugar just before serving.

Ingredients:

1lb unsalted butter

1lb plus 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips, divided

6oz unsweetened chocolate

6 extra-large eggs

3 tbls instant coffee granules

2 tbls pour vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, divided

1 tbls baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

3/4 cup smooth almond butter

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 12 by 18- inch sheet pan.

Melt together the butter. 1 lb. of chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee granules, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, sift together 1 cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture, Toss the remaining 12 oz of chocolate chips in a medium bowl with 1/4 cup of flour, then add them to the chocolate batter. Pour into the prepared sheet pan. Spoon the peanut butter over the top of the chocolate mixture and using a knife, swirl it through the chocolate mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes more or until a  toothpick comes out clean. Do not over-bake! Allow to cool thoroughly, refrigerate, and cut into large squares.

The “Bars” category was created specifically for this awesome recipe by Julie M.Crust:

• 1 cup Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 chopped toasted walnuts or pecans (I used walnuts)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

• 2 (8-ounce each) packages cream cheese, softened (The recipe I used said to use reduced-fat, but I used regular cream cheese.)
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Topping:

• 1 bag frozen berries
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Crust:

• Heat oven to 350º F. Lightly spray 13 x 9-inch metal baking pan with cooking spray.
• Combine oats, flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, nuts and baking soda in medium bowl; mix well. Add butter; mix until crumbly. (If you have raw nuts, first toast them at 350º F for 8-10 minutes in a shallow pan.)
• Press into a firm, even layer on to bottom of pan.
• Bake 10 minutes.

Filling:

• Beat together cream cheese, 3/4 cup brown sugar and flour with electric mixer in large bowl until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla, and lemon peel; beat well.
• Pour over crust, spreading evenly.
• Bake 20-25 minutes or until set in center. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Chill.
• To serve, cut cheesecake into squares and spoon topping over bars.

Topping:You can use fresh berries and berry syrup, but since I had a Trader Joe’s bag of frozen mixed berries, here’s what I did.

• Defrost the bag of berries. Empty two cups of berries into a bowl and set aside.
• Put the remainder of the berries in a saucepan with a little cold water—just enough to almost cover the berries.
• Bring them to a boil and stir so some of the fruit breaks down.
• Add sugar, stirring until it has dissolved. Remove from heat and cool.
• Add this mixture and lemon juice to uncooked berries; stir and chill.

This is not a cookie recipe, obviously, but if it’s sweet and desserty, who cares, right?

Right! 

crust: 

• about 3/4 cup white rice flour
• 2 teaspoons blue agave nectar
• 2 tablespoons raw, crunchy almond butter
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened

Mix softened butter and flour together in a bowl.  

Add almond butter.  

Mix in blue agave nectar to taste (for sweetness).  

Press into the bottom of a pie pan and bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

batter:

• 1 brick softened cream cheese
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons blue agave nectar
• 4 tablespoons bluberry preserves
• handful of fresh blueberries
• 1 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1 pinch salt

Mix cream cheese and egg until smooth.  

Add blue agave nectar and 2 tablespoons blueberry preserves.

Mix in ginger and salt to taste.

Stir fresh blueberries (as available) into the mixture.

Pour cream cheese mixture into pie pan on top of baked crust.  

Drop remaining 2 tablespoons blueberry preserves onto the batter and swirl into the mix.  

Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove cheesecake from oven and allow to cool.  

Serve at room temperature, or cool in the fridge.