Category Archives: Dessert

Sometimes things are really busy at work and I get home and just don’t want to cook. It’s a strange feeling because I almost always want to cook. Last Tuesday we decided to make sandwiches. My favorite kind of sandwich is an Italian sandwich — especially with a little proscuitto! I made a little roasted red pepper salad to go with them. Along with some stove-popped popcorn, and some carrot sticks, it made a perfect, delicious, and quick weeknight meal.

Balsamic Roasted Red Peppers

1/2 jar roasted red peppers, roughly chopped
1 quarter small red onion, sliced very thin
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper, to taste

Easy roasted red pepper salad.

Perfect, simply weeknight dinner.

This past weekend, we had two parties in one night. We attended an early Thanksgiving feast at Ronit and Ty’s; it was their yearly friends Thanksgiving and Ty has been throwing this for 13 years! I’m pretty sure we’ve gone to at least 6 of them. Lots of food and fun! Then we had to jet to party #2: Kevin’s birthday. We had a great time at both shin digs.

I never, ever want to go to a party empty handed — I always need to bake or cook something. In this case, I make two batches of Sweet Potato Cupcakes. I got the recipe idea from Martha Stewart’s Cupcake cookbook. I tweaked it slightly by adding cream cheese frosting along with toasted marshmallows and caramelized pecans (the cream cheese frosting was my idea; marshmallows and pecans from Martha.) I also added a couple of extra spices to the dry ingredients: ginger and cloves. These were DELICIOUS. Super tender, moist, and spicy. They also looked awesome (the caramelized pecans looked sparkly!) This is the second cupcake recipe I’ve made from her book — her yellow cupcake recipe was just as delicious, so I heartily recommend this cookbook.

Sweet Potato Cupcakes
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes

Yum! Sweet potato cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, toasted marshmallows, and candied pecans!

2 cups roasted, mashed sweet potatoes, cooled
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups miniature marshmallows
Candied pecan pieces (see below)
Cream cheese frosting (see below)

Preheat over to 325. Line cupcake tins with cupcake papers.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugars until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Beat in mashed sweet potatoes and vanilla.

Reduce speed to low. Add the flour mixture in three batches, beating until completely incorporated after each.

Fill cupcake papers with batter to 3/4 full. Bake for about 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cupcakes on a wire rack before frosting.

To decorate, spread each cupcake with 1-2 tablespoons of cream cheese frosting. Top with 5-6 miniature marshmallows. Torch the marshmallows with a kitchen torch being careful not to melt the cream cheese frosting. You have to be quick. The marshmallows might catch on fire (like when roasting over a campfire!) Just blow out the flame as you go.

Sprinkle with crushed candied pecans.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

With an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy. Reduce to low and add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and then vanilla. Mix until smooth and combined.

Candied Pecans
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Heat sugar and water to a simmer in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Stop stirring; cook until syrup comes to a boil. Boil, gently swirling pan occasionally, until mixture is light amber. Remove from heat. Stir in pecans with a wooden spoon to coat completely. Immediately remove pecans from caramel; spread in a single layer on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let cool completely before using or storing; break into small pieces, if necessary.