Something sweet!

We wanted a new recipe to model with our placemats so we selected a pineapple upside down cake as our alternative to freshly baked cookies as a prop. The cake's topping features a sweet and gooey mixture of brown sugar, butter, and pineapple in lieu of frosting. The cake itself has a similar flavor to a sponge cake, making it the perfect complement to the pineapple's slightly chewy texture.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

For cake:

1/2 cup softened butter

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour 

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup pineapple juice

For topping:

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 can of pineapple, chunks or slices

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Drain the can of pineapple and reserve juice for cake batter.

In a large bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter, granulated sugar, and eggs. Mix remaining dry ingredients separately and add alternately with juice to creamed sugar mixture.

In a cast iron skillet* on the stovetop, melt 4 tablespoons butter and stir in brown sugar. Simmer together until sugar is dissolved. Arrange pineapple chunks or slices on top of brown sugar mixture. Then pour batter into skillet and bake for 45 minutes.

Let cool for 15 - 20 minutes, then invert skillet over platter. Let stand until cake falls out of skillet (may take 5 minutes or longer). Serve warm, if desired. Any leftovers will keep in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

*Or other 9 to 10 inch diameter oven-proof dish.

Cream Cheese + Dark Chocolate + Berries

...equals something seriously good! We love having cheesecakes for birthdays and family celebrations, but even with our wonderful springform pan, it is still a little hard to slice the "cake" and serve it intact. (Doubly hard when we've topped the cheesecake with our favorite chocolate/berry combo.) Enter the mini cheesecake - with its shiny foil wrapping, serving is a cinch. Topped with a rich, dark chocolate ganache and a slightly tart, mixed berry sauce, these little cheesecakes end any meal with a perfectly delicious note. In this recipe, we have modified a favorite to include xylitol (a low-glycemic sweetner with numerous health benefits), but it does work just as well with normal white sugar!

Mini Cheesecakes with Dark Chocolate Ganache
and Berry Sauce

2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
1/3 cup xylitol (or granulated sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (or 2 teaspoons cornstarch)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat cream cheese in mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and follow with remaining ingredients. Beat all ingredients for about five minutes.

Spoon mixture into foil-lined muffin tins, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Centers should be set, and a knife poked in the center should come out clean. Cool for at least 10 minutes before topping with ganache and berry sauce. Chill for at least one hour before serving, and store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Makes 12 standard muffin-sized cheesecakes.

Dark Chocolate Ganache

4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
1/2 cup cream or half and half
1/4 cup xylitol (or powdered sugar)

Melt ingredients together in a double-boiler. Stir carefully until the chocolate is completely melted and the sweetener is dissolved. Let cool slightly before mounding onto the cheesecakes.



Berry Sauce

1 cup frozen mixed berries (can substitute any berry, except strawberries)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter
1/8 cup xylitol (or granulated sugar)
1/4 teaspoon glucomannan or 2 teaspoons cornstarch, mixed with a few tablespoons of water.

Warm berries and lemon juice together in saucepan. Add sweetener and stir until dissolved. Carefully blend in thickener while stirring with a wire whisk to prevent lumps. Heat through or until thickener is fully cooked, if using cornstarch. Cool to room temperature before spooning onto the mini cheesecakes.

Walnuts, Apples, and Cinnamon...

Fall sweets...they just seem to require some crunchy nuts, fragant spices, and a hint of molasses, don't they? Our applesauce cookies combine the rich flavor of walnuts and brown sugar with the spiciness of ginger and cinnamon, with a little white chocolate for added appeal. They make a tasty treat to share with family and friends as the days begin to shorten and the leaves fall.

Walnut Applesauce Cookies
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup applesauce
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cup white flour
½ cup wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 ½ cups white chocolate chips
½ to ¾ cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 400F. Mix butter and sugar together in mixer. Add applesauce, beat. Add eggs and vanilla, beat. Add dry ingredients, mix well. Stir in walnuts and chocolate chips. Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 7 minutes. Cool. Store whatover cookies don't get eaten during the baking process in an airtight container, placing wax paper between layers of cookies.

Makes 5 dozen medium sized cookies.