“It is a truth universally acknowledged that… ”  Can you name the novel?  The author?  Complete the sentence?  I knew that I had entered complete and total nerdom when I once *paid* to attend a lecture where ever single person in the room chimed in to complete that very sentence.

ANYHOW, that’s neither here nor there, its just that when I sat down to write this post, all I could think to say was, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that whenever we take something normal-sized and shrink it, all of us ladies swoon and proclaim the micro-sized thing, “Sooooooooo ADORABLE!”  Such is the case with mini-cupcakes.  If you make them for Mother’s Day this Sunday, their cuteness might just make you fall down on the floor :-)

Start with fun cupcake liners – available at any local craft store, include fresh ingredients (strawberries or limes for the versions below), shrink them to mini-size, and you have the world’s cutest and most delicious Mother’s Day Dessert! :-)

Chocolate Strawberry Mini Cupcakes (cupcakes from Family Circle April 2012 issue; frosting is Amy’s own recipe)

Ingredients
Cupcakes
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting
4 Tbsp softened butter (for the cupcakes Amy changed this and used 2 TBS butter and 2 TBS cream cheese)
4 cups confectioner’s sugar (may need to add more)
6 ripe strawberries

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line indents of two 12-cup mini cupcake pans with paper or foil liners.
2. Cupcakes. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. In a second medium-size bowl, combine butter and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium-high for 1 minute. Add egg and beat until combined. On low speed, beat in half the flour mixture, then all the milk, followed by remaining flour mixture. Beat in vanilla extract.
3. Spoon evenly into prepared liners. Bake at 350 degrees F for 17 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks.
4. Frosting. Whip butter in mixer, add 2 cups powdered sugar and mix on low, add strawberries and whip well so strawberries are mashed in well.  Then add 2 more cups powdered sugar, mix in well.  Add more powdered sugar until icing is thick enough to pipe on cupcakes.

Key Lime Mini Cupcakes (cupcakes and frosting from Family Circle magazine, April 2012)

Ingredients
Cupcakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup Key lime or traditional lime juice
Amy says to add lime zest – I must agree!

Frosting
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon Key lime juice
Again, Amy says to add lime zest and her results speak for themselves!

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line indents of two 12-cup mini cupcake pans with paper or foil liners.
2. Cupcakes. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. In a second medium-size bowl, combine butter and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium-high for 1 minute. Add egg and beat until combined. On low, beat in half the flour mixture, then the Key lime juice, followed by remaining flour mixture.
3. Spoon evenly into prepared liners. Bake at 350 degrees F for 17 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks.
4. Frosting. In a small bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar, butter and Key lime juice. Beat until smooth. Spread frosting onto cooled cupcakes.

**By the way, the quote is: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, first line**

Amy knows how to do hospitality just right.  Her home is homey enough that you can put your feet up on the sofa and not worry if your kids spill a few crumbs, but she keeps it comfortable and nice and your heart feels happy surrounded by the pretty, comfortable decor.

These scones are like Amy’s house – just right.  Flavorful, light, airy,  and comfortable, they make your heart happy and your soul calm.  I’ve made a lot of scones in the last couple of years, and I humbly admit that these are WAY better than any I’ve made – and the ones I make are very, very good!! I feel that I can truly declare them the Best Scones Ever in good conscience :-)

Best Scones Ever Recipe

Originally from Southern Living

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (gluten-free: 2 cups of gluten free flour mix and 1 tsp. xantham gum)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 cup whipping cream, divided
• Wax paper (Amy uses a pastry cloth; I would use a silicone baking mat)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°. Stir together first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender until crumbly and mixture resembles small peas. Freeze 5 minutes. Add 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. cream, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened (Amy used a little more whipping cream here to help the dough hold together a bit bitter).
2. Turn dough out onto wax paper; gently press or pat dough into a 7-inch round (mixture will be crumbly) (Amy made hers smaller; about 4-inch rounds). Cut round into 8 wedges. Place wedges 2 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush tops of wedges with remaining 2 Tbsp. cream just until moistened.
3. 3. Bake at 450° for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden.

Sweet Variations

1. Chocolate-Cherry Scones: Stir in 1/4 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped, and 2 oz.coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate with the cream.
2. Apricot-Ginger Scones: Stir in 1/2 cup finely chopped dried apricots and 2 Tbsp. finely chopped crystallized ginger with the cream. Drizzle with Vanilla Glaze after baking.
3. Cranberry-Pistachio Scones: Stir in 1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries and 1/4 cup coarsely chopped roasted salted pistachios with the cream.
4. Brown Sugar-Pecan Scones: Substitute brown sugar for granulated sugar. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans with the cream.

Savory Variations

1. Bacon, Cheddar, and Chive Scones: Omit sugar. Stir in 3/4 cup (3-oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup finely chopped cooked bacon, 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives, and 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper with the cream.
2. Ham-and-Swiss Scones: Omit sugar. Stir in 3/4 cup (3 oz.) shredded Swiss cheese and 3/4 cup finely chopped baked ham with the cream. Serve warm with Mustard Butter: Stir together 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 Tbsp. spicy brown mustard, and 1 Tbsp. minced sweet onion.
3. Pimiento Cheese Scones: Omit sugar. Stir in 3/4 cup (3-oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese and 3 Tbsp. finely chopped pimiento with the cream.
4. Rosemary, Pear, and Asiago Scones: Omit sugar. Stir in 3/4 cup finely chopped fresh pear, 1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese, and 1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary with the cream.

I challenge you – make them and tell me if they’re not the best ever?!  If you think yours are better, I’ll… well, I’ll come over and judge for myself :-)

– Becky

Amy did it again, combining adorable and delicious into one irresistable dessert that made all of us at Sunday night Bible Study feel like we should stand up and applaud.

This time, just for y’all, I went over to Amy’s on a gray, cloudy, chilly afternoon and took pictures of the master at work while our kids ran around the rest of their house.  Amy always keeps vases and bowls full of seasonal blooms straight from her yard and garden – its part of the reason that her home always feels calm and comforting to me.

While I took pictures of her cherry blossoms, Amy started making cheesecake balls with a cookie scoop.  The dough was a little sticky and she really had to work it with her fingers; I thought she did a pretty amazing job getting those little balls so uniform in size and shape.

Amy let the cheesecake balls freeze for a solid 30 minutes.  In that time, she prepared the toppings…

…and started melting Wilton’s candy melts.

Ultimately, Amy found those meltables a frustrating to work with because they stayed a too thick.  Later on, she went back to plain chocolate chips like she used in these chocolate covered strawberries.

FRIENDLY ALERT: Two brilliant tips coming up :-)

First, Amy stuck the top quarter/half inch or so of the lollipop stick into the chocolate before impaling the cheesecake ball.  This allows the ball to adhere better to the lollipop stick and minimizes the chances of it falling off as you roll it in the chocolate or toppings.

Second – and this one is particularly inspired, I think – Amy answered the age-old question, “How do you get cheesecake pops to dry without ruining them?”

Stick them in playdough containers :-)

And the next day… cheesepops.

Lots and lots of delicious, decadent, RICH cheesepops.

Grab your girlfriends, have a party, and make some. Have fun!!! :-)

Here’s the full recipe, copied from www.allrecipes.com:

Ingredients

• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 24 lollipop sticks
• 10 ounces white confectioners’ coating
• miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• toasted coconut

Amy never fails. She says to double the icing and when it comes to baking, I do whatever she says :-) Enjoy!!

CREAM CHEESE FILLING:
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
APPLE CAKE BATTER:
1 cup finely chopped pecans
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups peeled and finely chopped Gala apples (about 1 1/2 lb.)
PRALINE FROSTING:
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Prepare Filling: Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended and smooth. Add egg, flour, and vanilla; beat just until blended.

2. Prepare Batter: Preheat oven to 350º. Bake pecans in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. Stir together 3 cups flour and next 7 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in eggs and next 3 ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in apples and pecans.

3. Spoon two-thirds of apple mixture into a greased and floured 14-cup Bundt pan. Spoon Cream Cheese Filling over apple mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around edges of pan. Swirl filling through apple mixture using a paring knife. Spoon remaining apple mixture over Cream Cheese Filling.

4. Bake at 350º for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 2 hours).

5. Prepare Frosting: Bring 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 3 Tbsp. milk to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly; boil 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth; stir gently 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture begins to cool and thickens slightly. Pour immediately over cooled cake.

Originally from Southern Living, found online here.

To see the previous posts in Amy’s Desserts, including some gluten-free recipes, click here.

I *promise* we’re not turning this into a food blog! But spring is absolutely exploding all around us and I have to get in this warm, rich, gooey, and elegant dessert before we move on to lighter things. Amy made these, along with more delicious treats than I could count, to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes (Also known as Brownie Pudding)
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
5 tbsp butter
3 tbsp sugar
3.5 oz dark chocolate (this is one standard chocolate bar)
3 tbsp flour
4 tsp good (aka expensive) cocoa powder
pinch salt
1/8 tsp vanilla

Mix egg and sugar together.

Place butter and broken chocolate bar together in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on low until mixture is stirrable.

Dump butter/chocolate mixture into egg/sugar mixture and stir until combined.

Sift in the cocoa powder and flour; add a tiny pinch of salt and a few drops of vanilla.

Pour batter into ramekins. Refrigerate for 30 minutes in fridge.

Place ramekins in an ovenproof pan with water. Fill pan with water until halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake at 425 for 15-18 minutes, or until outside is firm enough to hold together and inside is still pudding-like.

Cool for 15 minutes. Loosen edges with a knife and invert onto a plate. If desired, dust with powdered sugar.

Any questions? – You can watch a video of the recipe here: http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2009/02/chocolate-lave-cake-20-return-of-molten.html

Amy also garnished the lava cakes with these chocolate covered strawberries. After washing and thoroughly drying the strawberries, she melted Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate chips with two tablespoons shortening in a double boiler. Afterwards, she put the berries tinfoiled covered pans till they dried. Then she melted white and pink melting chips and melted them in squeeze bottles to drizzle over the chocolate covered strawberries.

You can get a better idea of the method by watching this video: http://allrecipes.com/video/160/chocolate-strawberries/detail.aspx?prop24=vfaf

I am posting this too late for Valentine’s Day, but you can always plan a date night for this weekend… or, if you can’t wait, I guarantee your family won’t complain if you make dessert tonight!

To see the previous posts in Amy’s Desserts, including some gluten-free recipes, click here.