Category: Desserts/Sweets

Coconut Cream Dessert

One of my favorite desserts growing up and to this day is a Coconut Cream Dessert my Mom use to make! It’s so light and creamy and a perfect summer dessert.  It’s really simple and just a few steps and you will have this coconut heaven!  Take a look and give it a try!

Coconut Cream Dessert

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup melted butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup powered sugar
8 oz container cool whip
2 boxes instant coconut cream pudding
3 cups milk
2-3 cups coconut flakes

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350.  In a medium bowl mix together the flour, butter and chopped walnuts.  Once fully mixed, press into a 13×9 glass baking dish.  Bake in the oven until golden brown about 15-20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool. (Note: It’s best if the walnuts you put in the crust are smaller then mine shown, it makes the crust stick better if they are slightly smaller.)

Add 2-3 cups of coconut flakes to a baking sheet. Spread evenly.  Place in oven to toast. Keep a very close eye as coconut can burn super quickly.  You want a nice golden color.  Start with 8 minutes and watch from there.

In a mixing bowl add in 8 oz cream cheese, 1 cup of powder sugar and cool whip.  With a spoon mix until completely incorporated.  Spread evenly over cooled crust.  Sprinkle with toasted coconut.

In another mixing bowl add in 2 packages of coconut cream pudding with 3 cups cold milk. Let set slightly then spread over the toasted coconut evenly. (Note: this will look very lumpy but it’s from the coconut in the pudding.)

Top the pudding layer with the remainder of the cool whip and finish off with more toasted coconut.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours to let set. Cut into pieces and enjoy!

Note:  In my photos it’s a smaller portion.  The recipe is in fact for a 13×9 pan!  Make as much coconut as you like. I LOVE toasted coconut so I always make extra and put more then probably needed and I like to eat it! 🙂

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Lemon Blueberry Bread

I’m no baker, like at all! I think I’ve mentioned that a few times before.  Even making this bread, I felt more stressed then I usually do when cooking.  When I cook, I just put ingredients together, I then write them down if I enjoy the dish.  Baking, I feel like need to be much more exact. Lot of measuring or weighing!  I am trying to be more open to baking so maybe eventually I’ll enjoy it more.

Welcome this Lemon Blueberry bread! It actually came out very delicious.  It’s not super sweet.  It’s  perfect recipe for breakfast, not really like a dessert type bread.  You can always use some extra sugar if you like it slightly sweeter.

Lemon Blueberry Bread

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
2 t vanilla extract
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 large lemon, juiced
1 large lemon , zest
3 eggs
1 stick butter, softened
1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Directions: Preheat oven 350. In a medium bowl add in the butter and sugar.  Using a mixer on medium high cream the butter and sugar together.

Slowly add in the vanilla extract. Slowly add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Continue to use the mixer to beat together.

Next add in the eggs, lemon juice and zest and continue to beat.

Once fully incorporated fold in the fresh blueberries.  Generously spray a 8×4 loaf pan with cooking spray and add batter into the pan.

Bake in the oven 55-60 minutes.  Check the bread after 45 minutes as ovens will vary.  You want a toothpick or a knife to come out completely clean.  Let cool completely before cutting.  This is a very important step.  This cake isn’t one to be eaten warm.

If the bread starts to brown to much but the inside isn’t cooked, cover with foil to cook the inside and prevent the exterior from becoming to dark.

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Peanut Butter & Jelly Bites (Low Carb)

I made up these little bites when I was doing Low Carb diet.  I needed something to cure my sweet tooth and these were perfect.  They are made with mini fillo dough shells.  You can buy in your local grocery store.  The shells can typically be found in the frozen food section, usually by the pie crusts! They are really delicious!

Peanut Butter & Jelly Bites (Low Carb)

15 mini fillo dough shells, thawed
6 oz softened cream cheese
4 T creamy peanut butter
1 T sugar substitute (I use Swerve)
1/4 cup sugar free raspberry jelly

Directions: I a medium bowl, add in the cream cheese and sugar substitute and cream using a hand mixer.  Add in the peanut butter and continue to mix with hand mixer. You are looking for a creamy smooth texture.

Scoop the mixture evenly into the fillo dough shells and top with a small scoop of jelly. Enjoy!

If you plan on eating later or the next day you can make the peanut butter mixture and put in the refrigerator until ready to use.  These don’t store very well as after a few hours they may start to get soggy.

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Cheeseburger Cupcakes

These little cheeseburger cupcakes are so fun to make. This post isn’t going to be recipes for these little cute cupcakes. It’s just going to simply explain how to assemble them.  I made these for my favorite little people.  My niece and nephews a while back, when they were a few years old.  They are 12, 10 and almost 10 now.  These are very sweet, they are more for the look, but the kids didn’t eat much of them back then.

I got such a kick out of making these.  When I put them together I actually bought some of the stuff and made some of the components of this cupcake.  Take a look below how to make/assemble them!  These would be perfect for a BBQ!

Cheeseburger Cupcakes

Bun: Yellow cupcakes (unfrosted) either homemade or store bought
Burger: Brownie Bites
Cheese: Melted Marshmallows with yellow food coloring
Ketchup: Red Frosting ( Just put along the edges, so you can see it)
Lettuce: Coconut flakes with green food coloring
Seeds: Rice Cereal

Directions: To assemble these adorable cupcakes, cut the yellow cupcake in half. Add the brownie bite to the bottom half of the cupcake.  After melting the marshmallows put over top of the brownie bite.  Add a little bit of red frosting (just to the outer area so you can see it.) Next sprinkle on the coconut flakes.  Top with the other half of the cupcake and add a few pieces of rice cereal to act as the seeds on the bun.

 

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Cinnamon Cream Cheese Balls

Who doesn’t like an easy recipe for something sweet. I made these for a breakfast item, like a cinnamon dount stuffed with cream cheese. But the more I think about it you can really eat these anytime. Add some chocolate syrup to dip it in and it can be a dessert.

These are really simple to make and can be a fun recipe to make with kids. Take a look and give it a try!

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Balls

Ingredients:

4 large canned biscuits, cut in 4s
1 stick butter
1/2 -3/4 cup granulated sugar
2-3 T cinnamon
1/4 cup nuts, finley chopped (optional)
6 oz cream cheese, cut in 16 pieces

Directions: Preheat oven to 375°. Add a piece of cream cheese into a piece of biscuit. Roll up into a ball, making sure the seams are pinched together tight. Complete with all of the biscuts. In a bowl mix together cinnamon, sugar and nuts (if using), melt butter in a second bowl.

Next roll the balls into the butter and then into the cinnamon mixture. Continue with all the rest of the balls. Put on a baking sheet about an inch or so apart. They will puff out slightly. Bake in the oven 17-20 minutes. (Note: oven tempatures will vary)

Remove from the oven and serve warm.

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3 Fun & Easy Baking Ideas For Kids

I have 1 niece and 2 nephews who are my entire world. My niece, Gianna is 12, my nephew Anthony is 10 and my nephew Michael is 9 and will be 10 in a few months.   I love them so much. I enjoy the time I spend with them.  I’ve been cooking with them since they were young. I’ve been making pizza with them since they were in diapers.  I still remember making a pizza with my niece and nephew and my niece saying ” The more cheese the better.”  I asked her where she got that from and she said, “From you Auntie Julie!” My heart just about erupted.

I try to do fun things with them when I’m with them. I want them to have the experience and to look back when they are older and remember these times.  My niece, Gianna who is the oldest has really been into baking.  Auntie Julie is not really a baker, I can teach her how to make a beef wellington, or a killer taco but baking has never been my forte.  However, we have been trying.

I’ve kept it simple, we’ve used boxed cake mixes (hey don’t knock it, lol) we’ve just done different things.  The first cake we did was a gravity cake.  That was so much fun.  Then the 2nd one we did was a piñata cake.  You know where you stuff candy into the cake and then cut it open and candy comes out.  Most recently we did ice cream cone cupcakes, this time we made homemade buttercream. (Yes, we did make that from scratch.)

My niece loves to bake more then my nephews.  Gianna’s brother, Anthony gets involved sometimes but isn’t as into it as she is.  I’m going to show you the cakes/cupcakes we made and put how we made them below.  Next time I think we may try French macarons. My niece loves them!

Gravity Cake:

1 box cake mix, your choice on flavor
Ingredients for cake mix
2 container frosting, your choice on flavor
1 box of your favorite candy
2 heavy duty straws

Directions: Make cake according to the box, for 2 round cakes.  Let the cakes cool completely.  Stack the cakes and add some frosting in-between the cakes.  Completely frost the cake.  Add candy pieces of your chose on the top of the cake, to make it look like the candy is coming out of the box.  Next, add the straw to the side of the cake and add frosting to the straw and add some candy on the straw.  Add the box of the candy at the angle.  See picture below.

Piñata Cake:

2 boxes of cake mix,your choice on flavor
ingredients for cake mix
3-4 containers of frosting, your choice on flavor
big bag of unwrapped candy
sprinkles for decoration, optional

Directions: Make cakes according to packages. Make 2 round cakes for each box of mix. 4 layers total.  Let cakes cool completely. Using a narrow cup or glass cut a hole in the middle of each layer. Make sure the wholes match up.  Next stack the layers on top of each other making sure to add a layer of frosting to the middle of each.  Next pour the candy into the hole and make sure to fill to the top.  Add a cut out piece of cake to the top of the cake.  Next completely frost the cake.  Decorate how you’d like.

When you cut into the cake the candy will fall out like a piñata.  See picture below.

 

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes:

Ingredients:
1 box of cake mix, your choice of flavor
ingredients for cake mix
24 ice cream cones
1-2 stick butter
1-2 cups powder sugar
1-3 T milk
Food coloring, optional

Toppings: Optional
sprinkles
cherries

Directions: Mix up cake mix according to the box.  Add the cones to a muffin tin.  Fill up the cone 3/4 of the way full. About 2 T per cone.  Bake. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Make the simple buttercream with 1 stick of butter and mix with a mixer slowly adding in the powder sugar.  Add in the amount of sugar you prefer based on how sweet you like it.  Add in milk if you need to thin out the buttercream if it gets to thick.  Note, once you start to work with the buttercream it will soften.

You can separate the buttercream into different bowls to color it with food coloring.

 

 

My favorite little people and I at Christmas 2019!

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