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Written on July 31, 2011 by Kate

I usually post cocktails on Mondays and since I didn’t want to disappoint, I created a creamy cocktail push-up pop… dessert and a cocktail all in one ~ LOVE it! This happens to be one of my mom’s original recipes, which I have now created in push-pop form. The original recipe is usually layered in a Springform pan. I’m including the recipe for the ice cream pie below. The push-pops are layered the same way that the pie is layered. This is a super easy, crowd-pleasing pie to make. It always gets rave reviews.

QUICK HOW-TO

As far as making these into push-up pops, they were a little messier than cake and frosting push-up pops. You need to put the push-pop together except for the stick. Click on this link to see how the pieces come together. Put the push-pops on a cookie sheet. These need to be completely filled and frozen solid before inserting the stick. After each layer, I had to go around the inside of each pop container with a damp paper towel to clean up any splatters that showed on the sides.

Take the ice cream out of the freezer and let soften. Begin by putting a spoonful of vanilla ice cream into the bottom of the pop. Spread it to even out the layer. Pop them in the freezer for fifteen minutes. Add a spoonful of fudge sauce on top of the ice cream layer. Freeze until firm. Add another spoonful of vanilla ice cream. Next, add a caramel layer. I used a squeeze bottle of caramel sauce and it worked great. Layer with another spoonful of ice cream and top off with fudge sauce. Sprinkle the top with Skor bar pieces. Using a toothpick or small skewer, poke holes into the ice cream layers. Add a small spoonful of Kahlua on top. The Kahlua will seep down into the various layers to create a great flavored dessert. Freeze until ready to serve.

Don’t forget to comment on the Cookies -n- Cream push-up pop post for a chance to win $20 credit at CupKatesEventDesign store. You can buy these push-up pops there, and other fun party items. Give-away ends Tuesday, August 2nd. You can’t win, unless you comment!

Enjoy this first week of August. Stay cool!!

Kahlua –N- Cream Pie (www.grinandbakeit.com)

1 cup Oreo cookie crumbs

3 tbsp. sugar

¼ cup butter, melted

1 12 oz. jar caramel (or butterscotch) sauce

½ gallon vanilla ice cream, softened

1 16oz. jar hot fudge topping, slightly warmed

1 cup Skor bar topping

½ cup Kahlua

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix sugar and cookie crumbs with melted butter. Firmly press crumble onto bottom and up the sides of 8” Springform pan. Bake crust 10 minutes. Cool completely. Freeze until cold (about 15 minutes).

Spread ½ jar of caramel sauce over the bottom of the crust, freeze until firm (about 15 minutes).

Spoon 1/3 of ½ gallon ice cream on top of caramel sauce. Freeze 15 minutes.

Spread ½ jar of fudge topping over ice cream. Freeze 5 minutes.

Spread 1/3 of ½ gallon of ice cream on top of fudge sauce. Freeze 15 minutes.

Spread remaining caramel topping over ice cream. Freeze 5 minutes.

Spoon 1/3 of ½ gallon ice cream on top of caramel sauce. Freeze 15 minutes.

Spread remaining fudge sauce on top of ice cream and gently press score bar topping into fudge topping. Freeze 15 minutes.

Poke holes in solid ice cream mixture with a toothpick and pour Kahlua on top.

Freeze at least two hours. Can be made 3 days ahead of time. Take out of the freezer and soften for 15 minutes before cutting.

Desserts Galore, Frozen Treats, Pies, Recipes

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Written on May 26, 2011 by Kate

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Cheers to a fabulous Memorial Day weekend!

Here are a few of my favorite all-American treats!

Click on links for recipes:

Star Spangled Jello Shots

Firecracker Rice Krispies

Red, White and Blue Strawberries

Patriotic Cupcakes

Bikini Martini

Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes

Fresh Raspberry Martini

Have a fabulous weekend!

Candy, Cupcakes, Desserts Galore, Drinks, frosting, Holidays, Martinis, Parties, Pies, Recipes

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Written on November 29, 2010 by Kate

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Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. The boy and I both had nine days off together. It was great to have free time to catch up with friends. I’m pretty much a creature of habit, who thrives on structure though, so getting back to a normal week today feels fabulous! Aside from my brief, mini melt-down on Thanksgiving, it was a much enjoyed week. Repeat after me… The holidays are stressful. Please tell me you are in total agreement. I’m highly suspect of people who pretend the holidays are complete bliss. Let’s be real; even if we think we don’t have expectations going into the holiday season, they’re there just hiding on the subconscious level.

This year the boy was scheduled to be with his dad for Thanksgiving dinner. Matt and I are not your typical divorced couple. We care about one another, parent our son as a team, and have mastered the art of flexibility. Okay, it’s not as picture perfect as it may sound. Divorce is never good, but I think we’ve made the best with the challenges we’ve been given.

So yes, I had a little moment during Thanksgiving (actually a few moments) of not holding it together very well, feeling stressed over what I couldn’t control, and sad for not having exactly the life I had envisioned for myself. It was not my best moment (mascara running down your face on a holiday is never attractive). Some baking therapy and a few hours of retail therapy this weekend helped me gain perspective again. After making three batches of sugar cookie dough and a couple of impulse buys, here’s what I arrived at… The picturesque vision I have of my life is not reality, and even if it was, it wouldn’t be nearly as fulfilling as the incredibly functional, dysfunctional life that I’ve been blessed with.

These apple cheesecake bars, aren’t the apple pie you probably envision, but like my crazy life, they’re even better. They start with a layer of oatmeal cookie crust, topped with a creamy layer of cheesecake. A thin layer of apple pie filling is then hidden under a to-die-for streusel topping. These were amazing. What put them completely over the top was enjoying them with a bottle of Kendall Jackson and a best girlfriend, while planning our New Kids on the Block/Backstreet Boys reunion concert night, and catching up on our reality-trash TV shows. It doesn’t get much better than that!

These bars would be great to make for a holiday cookie exchange and different from the usual cookie recipes people bring. Just remind your friends to refrigerate the bars. Feel free to tweak this to make it more toward your taste preferences. If you love the apple pie filling, double it. If cheesecake is your thing, you can easily make one and a half times the cheesecake layer, just adjust the cooking time by several minutes. The cookie layer is simple thanks to Betty Crocker, but if you feel compelled you can make the crust from scratch.

Apple Streusel Cheesecake Bars (adapted from Betty Crocker)

printable recipe

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker oatmeal cookie mix

1/2 cup firm butter or margarine, cold

2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1 can (21 oz) apple pie filling

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup chopped walnuts (I ommitted these)

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of 13×9-inch pan with cooking spray.

Place cookie mix in large bowl. With pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly and coarse. Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture (to use for streusel recipe below); press remaining crumbs in bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla and egg with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over partially baked crust. In medium bowl, mix pie filling and cinnamon. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture.

Streusel Topping

1 1/2 cups reserved crumb mixture from crust

1 cup cold, salted butter

2 1/4 cups flour

1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

1 3/4 cups brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

In large bowl with electric mixer combine, reserved crumbs from crust, butter, flour, cinnamon, brown sugar, and vanilla until all crumbly. Break crumb topping into marble size pieces with fingers, sprinkling over top of apple filling.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes longer or until light golden brown. Cool about 30 minutes. Refrigerate to chill, about 2 hours. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

Tips

Spreading the cream cheese layer can be tricky. First drop tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture all over the cookie crust and then spread.
Chill for a few hours. Don’t rush this step.
I prefer these taken out of the refrigerator for a few minutes before serving.
Double the apple pie filling if desired.
Make one and a half times the cream cheese mixture if desired.

Wishing you a week that’s even better than you envision!

Brownies & Bars, Cheesecake, cookies, Desserts Galore, Holidays, Pies, Recipes

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Written on November 5, 2009 by Kate

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When it comes to left-overs there are three types of people, the “Don’t You Dare Throw That Away” type, the “Count Me Out” group, and my favorite type, the “Don’t You Dare Throw That Away…I Will Keep it in My Fridge For a Week and Then Throw it Out!” people. I think we’ve all had the experience of looking into the refrigerator of someone who fits into the latter category.

I’ve never been a left-over girl, but candy is a definite exception. One of the best ways to get rid of left-over Halloween candy is by baking with it. Cookies, brownies, cakes, pies… think outside of the recipe card! Last year my boy and I decided to make a candy bar coffee cake after Halloween. It turned out great – coffee cake and chocolate, what’s not to love? I have already pilfered my son’s candy bag. Is that morally wrong? I do feel a little guilty. I’ve eaten the Snicker’s bars (my greatest weakness), but have hidden the Butterfinger’s for a recipe I’ll share next week.

Here are some of my favorites sweets I’ve baked with candy (pictured above)

Cakes, Candy, Cheesecake, chocolate, cookies, Cupcakes, frosting, Frozen Treats, Pies, Recipes

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Written on September 5, 2009 by Kate

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It’s Pie Time for the “You Want Pies With That?” baking group. This month’s theme, “Vacation Pies” was chosen by Jenn at Piccante Dolce. It’s the perfect theme to celebrate the end of our summer vacation. Next Tuesday it’s back to reality in our house. My son starts third grade – can’t believe it! I head back to work and once again try to figure out how to juggle being the chauffeur, short order cook, homework monitor – oh and somehow manage to fit in that full-time job at the school district, since that’s the job that pays the mortgage.

The beach is hands down my favorite vacation spot and was the inspiration for my pie this month. Hawaii, St. Lucia, Monterey… the geographical location really doesn’t matter. As long as I have a lounge chair, a bit of sunshine, and a romance novel, I’m in heaven. I’ve spent my life in Southern California at the beach, so you might think a vacation would actually mean going some place different. But me, do something different? Don’t bet on it!

I used my new mini cheesecake pan from Sur La Table to make these cinna-mini pies. I LOVE this pan! Bite-sized desserts are my favorite for their automatic portion control. These pies are filled with rich, creamy white chocolate cheesecake, surrounded by a graham cracker crust, and a cinnamon streusel topping. The crumbly topping helped me achieve the sand-like texture I was going for, and the taste was to die for! I garnished these little babies with chocolate swirled shells that were made with my chocolate seashell mold. I have to say I didn’t go into this one with total confidence. I wasn’t sure how the white chocolate/cinnamon streusel topping would taste. Fortunately, this one was a big success. Oh my gosh, these were good! At the point in which I realized these could not stay in my kitchen (too dangerous to keep around), I wrapped them up individually and brought them to work as little welcome back greetings for the people in my office. They turned out really cute and were a little morale booster for a workplace that desperately needs a bit of sunshine!

White Chocolate Streusel Tartlettes

Crust

¾ cup graham cracker crumbs

2 ½ tbsp. butter, melted

2 tbsp. sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Use nonstick spray to lightly spray pan. Mix ingredients in a medium bowl. Divide mixture evenly into 12 mini cheesecake cups. Bake for 3-4 minutes and cool.

Cheesecake

1 8 ounce package of cream cheese

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

¼ cup sugar

2 oz. white chocolate baking bar

Blend ingredients until smooth. Fill cups evenly with cheese mixture. Bake 14-16 minutes.

Streusel Topping

2 Sticks cold salted butter

2 1/4 Cups flour

1 1/2 Tablespoons cinnamon

1 3/4 Cups brown sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoons vanilla

While cheesecake layer is baking, prepare crumb topping. Use electric mixer to combine, butter, flour, cinnamon, brown sugar and vanilla until all crumbly. after cheesecake is removed from oven, break crumb topping into marble size pieces with fingers, divide among the 12 cups, sprinkling on top of cheesecake layer. Put back in oven and bake an additional 5-7 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes in the pan. Lightly loosen cheesecake tarts around the edges. Carefully remove cheesecakes. Garnish with a chocolate shell. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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Written on August 6, 2009 by Kate

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It’s pie time for the “You Want Pies With That?” group. This month’s theme is “Nuts About Pie” selected by Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes . I knew if I was going to pull off a pie this month, the nuts needed a disguise. My son, the Picky One, would reject it before even trying it if he saw a nut. I can think of no better disguise for a nut than chocolate and ice cream.

Candy bars are one of my biggest weaknesses and I love to bake with them. The Take Five candy bar was my inspiration for the pie – sadly a lot of people don’t even know this one exists. It’s considered the “baby” of candy bars since it was born into the Hershey family in 2004. It combines five of the best ingredients - chocolate, caramel, peanut butter, pretzels, and peanuts. Whoever came up with this bar at Hershey is a genius. It’s the pretzel addition that gives it a little bit of salt to complement the sweet that earned this bar “genius” status - Yum!

Okay, so technically this is a few more than five steps, but I took the liberty to combine a few. This pie was pretty simple, but like most ice cream pies took awhile from beginning to end because each layer needed to be firm before adding the next. The pretzel crust, like the candy bar, added a nice salty element, but didn’t take over the pie. The carmel-peanut mixture in between the two ice cream layers gave it a tiny bit more crunch. I dipped the pretzels in chocolate and added sprinkles prior to starting the pie and had those harden in the fridge.

Guess what, the disguise worked! The circus-esque look of the top layer enticed my boy to dig right in! Hooray – I love outsmarting him! This is my favorite ice cream pie to date – Loved it!!! Be sure to check out all of the other nutty pies this month. I can’t wait to see what everyone created!

Pretzel Crust (allrecipes.com)

10 ounces pretzels

2 tbsp. sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crush pretzels in food processor. Add sugar and butter and mix well. Press into a 9 inch pie plate. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool.

Filling

4 c. (1/2 of a half gallon) of vanilla or chocolate ice cream

caramel sauce

1/4 cup chopped peanuts, lightly salted

4 c. (1/2 of a half gallon) vanilla ice cream + 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

hot fudge sauce

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Spread one pint of vanilla or chocolate ice cream on top of pretzel crust. Freeze until firm (about 1 hour). Spread a layer of caramel on top of ice cream layer and sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Freeze until firm. Using a medium mixing bowl combine one pint of vanilla ice cream with peanut butter and mix until smooth. Spread onto caramel peanut layer. Refreeze until really firm. Spread a layer of hot fudge sauce and top with chocolate pretzels. It’s best to let it freeze solid over night, but give it at least a few hours.

Baking Groups, chocolate, Frozen Treats, Pies, Recipes

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Written on July 6, 2009 by Kate

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It’s pie time for the “You Want Pies With That?” group. This month’s theme is “Summer Pies” selected by Mary at Alpineberry and Rebecca at Ezra Pound Cake. When I found out the theme, I started to think of all of my favorite summer treats and suddenly flashbacked to childhood to those mini sundaes that my sister and I used to beg for.

You know, the ones stacked in the long, plastic bags with the little wooden spoon underneath the lid, sitting on top of the chocolate or strawberry swirl. Shortly after the flashback, I became obsessed with finding them. I still have yet to find the ones that we used to get, but this one comes pretty close. Once I had taken the first bite and had that little wooden spoon in hand, I knew what I would create.

I’ve never made one of those swirly cheesecake pies, but always love the way they look. This pie doubled as one of our 4th of July desserts. Lord knows, at this point in summer the last thing I need is two pies tempting me. I made them in mini stars and winged it way more than usual. It started with the standard graham cracker crust recipe (which we’ve all probably memorized). The cheesecake recipe was the condensed milk and cream cheese filling. I’ve never made

a cheesecake this way. The filling was good, not the best I’ve had – maybe it’s because I was raised on my mom’s version. The second time around, I’ll try another cheesecake filling recipe. The highlight of the process was making the little marbelized swirls (It doesn’t take much to excite me these days!).

Does this compare to my memory of those strawberry sundaes I used to have on hot summer nights? Well…no, but isn’t that how memories usually are – just a tad embellished over time?

Need more summer pie ideas? Head over to “You Want Pies With That?” and see this month’s roundup.

Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake Pie

Graham Cracker Crust

1 1/2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup white sugar

6 tablespoons butter, melted

Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter or margarine until well blended . Press mixture into an 8 or 9 inch pie plate. Bake at 375 degrees F for 7 minutes. Cool.

Cheesecake Filling (Adapted from Southern Food recipe) *

4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

4 eggs

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in condensed milk; beat until smooth. Add flour, eggs, and vanilla; beat until sell blended. Pour into prepared crust. Wrap the bottom of the springform pan in heavy duty foil; place the pan in a shallow baking pan, such as a jelly roll pan. Put the pans in the oven and add about 2 cups of hot water to the shallow baking pan, or to a depth of about 1/2-inch. Bake for 1 hour, or until lightly browned. The cheesecake will be just slightly jiggly in the center. Cool.

*Note- When using 6 small ramekins, I halved the recipe for the filling and it was plenty. I did not do the water/jelly roll pan method for these mini ones. I placed them on a baking sheet and cooked for about 20 minutes.

Strawberry Swirl

1 cup fresh strawberries

1 tbsp. sugar

Combine strawberries and sugar and puree in a food processor until smooth. Spoon dollops of strawberry sauce onto cooled cheesecake. Use a toothpick to create the swirls, but don’t over do it. Refrigerate for several hours before serving (up to 24 hours).

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Written on June 4, 2009 by Kate

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It’s pie time for the “You Want Pies With That?” group and this month’s theme is “Childhood Memory Pie”, selected by Emma at Kitty Mama in the Kitchen. But it’s not just “pie time”. It’s also ”days before summer vacation time”. Ten school days to be exact (not that anyone’s counting!) My son could probably tell you how many hours, minutes, and seconds until our break officially begins. His class refers to him as the “human calculator”, so I don’t put anything past him. I love summer vacation and since I became a teacher right out of college, I have never had to experience a year without my summer vacation. I think summer vacation should be a requirement for everyone!

Since I’m in summer mode, the first childhood memories that come to mind take me right to the beach – riding the bus to the beach, looking for cute boys, and working on my oh-so-important tan. My best girlfriend and I are still in shock that our moms actually allowed us to take the bus to the San Clemente Pier as pre-teens (What were they thinking?). That was around the same time when I thought Baby oil was good for my tan. Ironically, I’m now the mom rubbing in spf 50 on everyone (babies, children, adults – I don’t discriminate.). My girlfriends and I still log a ton of hours at the beach and have made so many great memories there with our own kids. Isn’t it awesome to see your kids enjoying the same things that you loved as a kid?

It’s an unwritten rule, you can’t stay at the beach after sunset unless you’ve brought your s’mores emergency kit. And you’re talking to the master s’mores maker. If you’re wondering, there is a proper technique to making the perfect s’more. It’s all in the marshmallow. It has to be just warm enough to melt the chocolate, but not too warm to burn your tongue. It should be gooey without being drippy, and the outside should be slightly tan and a tad crispy (not crunchy). Is it just me, or aren’t you pretty disgusted when you see someone completely char the heck out of a marshmallow, proceed to eat it, and then tell you that’s how they like it. Check out my mini-me s’mores master in training below. (We’ll have to show the “after” photo to your first boyfriend Miss Macy!)

BEFORE

AFTER

Yes, I’ve spent way too much time thinking about s’mores, which makes it no surprise that I set out to make the perfect s’mores pie this month. There are a lot of different recipes out there so I knew mine needed a little twist. What pairs well with chocolate and marshmallows…peanut butter and more chocolate! Reese’s Peanut Butter cups seemed like the perfect addition.

The pie starts with a graham cracker crust (an obvious choice) and is covered in a layer of fudge. Dryer’s peanut butter cup ice cream serves as the filling and it’s filled with chunk of Reese’s and chocolate and peanut butter swirls. Marshmallow creme and mini marshmallows are put on top to conceal all of these yummy ingredients. It wouldn’t be a s’mores pie without toasting the mini marshmallows (see above for how to toast the perfect marshmallow – kidding!). Finally. it’s topped off with half of a peanut butter cup. Oh my goodness, this was out of this world and better than my perfect s’more! Don’t forget to check out all of the memory pies this round.

Tip: You definitely want to do this the night before. I did mine the afternoon of and it’s better the day after. It also won’t melt as quickly when broiled for a few minutes, so it makes for a better presentation.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup S’mores Pie

1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 c. butter, melted

ice cream fudge topping

1/2 gallon Dryer’s Reese’s Peanut Butter ice cream, softened

1 jar Marshmallow Cream

Mini Marshmallows (enough to cover top of pie)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the crumbs and sugar; add butter and blend well. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a lightly greased 9-in. pie plate. Bake at 375 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack completely and freeze for 15 minutes.

2. Spread a layer of fudge sauce onto frozen crust and refreeze (about 30 minutes). Spread softened ice cream onto fudge layer and refreeze until firm. Spread a layer of marshmallow cream and sprinkle with mini marshmallows. Refreeze for about 4 hours. (Freezing overnight is best).

3. Prior to serving broil pie until mini marshmallows are lightly toasted. Watch closely. It will only take a minute or two and will burn quickly. Garnish each slice with 1/2 of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.

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Baking my way through the trials and triumphs of life!

Category Archives: Pies