Open House Noshing

Requests were made for the recipes served at this past weekend's Open House. So, here they are:

Marbled Cream Cheese & Kahlua Brownies
cheesecake filling:
8 ounces cream cheese~ at room temperature
5 Tablespoons butter~ at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 Tablespoon Kahlua

brownies:
1 19.8 ounce boxed brownie mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup Kahlua
2 eggs
1/2 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

prepare filling:
mix together cream cheese, butter, sugar, egg and Kahlua in large bowl on low speed~ mix until smooth and well mixed
set aside

position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350
spray 9x13 pan with baking spray

prepare brownies:
mix together brownie mix, oil, Kahlua and eggs with wooden spoon~ about 50 strokes
pour into prepared pan evenly
spread cream ceese filling atop
swirl with butter knife for marbelized effect
scatter chocolate chips atop
bake 27-32 minutes ( will form a 2" crust)
cool 30 minutes before cutting

Drunk Blondies
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 sticks butter~ melted
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs~ at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons bourbon
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup toasted coconut flakes
1/4 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350
spray 9x13 pan with baking spray
in medium bowl, whish together the flour, baking powder, and salt~ set aside
put the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl and stir until smooth, add eggs, vanilla and bourbon~ mix until combined. Stir in flour mixture, followed by pecans, coconut and chocolate chips.
pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top with offset spatula.
bake 25-28 minutes until top is golden brown
cool completely on a wire rack before cutting

Red Velvet Cupcakes
24 paper liners for cupcake pans (2 1/2 –inch size)
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain German chocolate cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 bottle (1 ounce) red food coloring
3 large eggs
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
white chocolate peppermint cream cheese icing
6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 ounces (half an 8-ounce package) reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 to 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

Cupcakes:

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

Place the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, oil, food coloring, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon or scoop 1/3 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pans in the oven.

Bake the cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

Meanwhile, prepare the White Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting.

Place a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake and swirl to spread with a short metal spatula or a spoon, taking care to cover the tops completely. Place these cupcakes, uncovered or in a cake server, in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 20 minutes. The cupcakes are ready to serve.

Store the cupcakes, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze them, wrapped in aluminum foil or in a cake saver, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cupcakes overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

White Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting:

Place the white chocolate in a small glass bowl in the microwave oven on high power for 1 minute. Remove the bowl from the oven and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until it is smooth. Set the chocolate aside to cool.
Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the melted white chocolate and blend on low speed until just combined, 30 seconds. Add the peppermint extract and 2 cups of the confectioners’ sugar and blend on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 30 seconds more. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the frosting is fluffy, 1 minute more, adding up to 1/2 cup more sugar if needed to make a spreadable consistency.