Puffed Pastry Peach Tarts

 Puffed Pastry Peach Tarts

Don’t you just love simple desserts that look beautiful and taste like you got them from a bakery?  I do.  And this is just perfect.

Puffed Pastry Peach Tarts

1 sheet frozen puffed pastry thawed

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon sugar

1 can sliced peaches, drained

8 oz cream cheese softened

2/3 cup powdered sugar + more for sprinkling

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thaw pastry 20 minutes at room temp, or until you can unfold the pastry. On a floured surface cut the puffed pastry into 4 x 2 inch rectangles. Place each rectangle on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Using a small, sharp knife, score a rectangle about 1/3 inch inside from the border of the puffed pastry. Be careful not to cut through the dough. Brush the scored edge with egg and sprinkle sugar on top. Bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from oven and re-score the edge and lightly push down the center of each square and cool completely.  

In a medium bowl combine the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and beat until creamy. Place a spoonful of cream cheese mixture on each square and spread to a thin layer. Place peach slices over the center of each pastry square.  Sprinkle powdered sugar all over pastry.  Set aside until you make your glaze.

Vanilla Glaze 

½ cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon milk

Stir together powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Add more milk if needed to reach desired consistency then drizzle over pastries.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to ©Welcome Home.

Chocolate Pudding Cookie Cups

 Chocolate Pudding Cookie Cups

 

These are so much fun to make and easy too!  You can be as creative as you want and fill these little cups with whatever you like.  I chose chocolate pudding and then I topped them with vanilla ganache but you can use any pudding you like and any topping...even whipped cream.

Chocolate Pudding Cookie Cups

1 sugar Cookie Mix plus required ingredients to make them
1 3.4 ounce package of Instant chocolate Pudding 
2 cups milk 
1 cup heavy cream 
1 11 ounce package of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease mini muffin tray and set aside. Prepare the sugar cookie mix according to directions. Roll the dough into small balls approximately 1 inch in diameter. Place one ball of dough into each space of the mini muffin tray. Press down the dough with a round spoon to create a small crater in the middle. 

Bake for approximately 9 minutes, cookie cups will be slightly golden around the edges, they will still be slightly soft. Once you remove them from the oven press in the center with the round spoon again to re-create the crater in the center of the cookie cup. Allow to cool in the pan for another 5-8 minutes, then remove to continue cooling on a wire rack.

To make the pudding combine the 2 cups of milk with the package of instant vanilla pudding. Stir for several minutes to ensure it is fully mixed and place into the refrigerator to set. 

To make the ganache frosting,  pour the white chocolate chips into a medium size mixing bowl and set aside, pour the heavy cream into a small saucepan and bring to a low simmer. Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes and then pour the hot heavy cream over the chocolate chips. Stir until fully melted and heavy cream and chocolate are completely combined. Allow to set and cool to room temperature for approximately an hour. As it cools it will continue to thicken. 

Once the ganache is cool, pour into large mixing bowl and using a hand mixer mixer beat over high speed for 4-5 minutes. This will thicken it even more to be able to use the ganache as a frosting. Scoop the ganache frosting into a piping bag, and use a frosting tip to frost cups. 

To assemble, take a spoonful of the chocolate pudding and scoop it into the crater of the cookie cup. It's ok to add extra pudding so it sits higher on top of the cookie cup. Then pipe on the ganache frosting. 

Serve immediately and enjoy!!   Can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.​ 

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to ©Welcome Home

Peanut Butter Cookie Cups

Peanut Butter Cookie Cups

 

 

How simple can it get?  I make these whenever I get that craving for peanut butter and chocolate.  Instead of making my regular peanut butter cookies I make cookie cups instead. Then I stuff them with a mini peanut butter cup!  This time I really took a short cut.  I bought a package of Betty Crocker Peanut butter cookie mix.  Mixed it up and rolled it into little balls. Put those in my mini muffin pan and baked them.  The rest is even easier!

Peanut Butter Cookie Cups

1 package (17.5 ounce) Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix* (see note)

1 package of Reese's mini peanut butter cups

non stick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a mini cupcake pan with non stick cooking spray.

Mix cookie batter as directed on package (you will need one egg, 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and 2 teaspoons water. *You can also use a roll of refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough if you want to make it even easier.  Just pinch off the dough and roll it into balls.

Once you have it mixed, shape into 1 1/4 inch balls and drop one ball into each cup of your mini muffin tin.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes or until top starts to get golden.

Remove from oven and immediately push a mini peanut butter cup in the center of each cookie cup.  Cool slightly and enjoy!










Photography is the property of and copyrighted to ©Welcome Home.

 

Fried Onion Petals

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have a confession to make.  Not proud of it but can’t help myself. I can an entire plate of these things at one sitting. I start off thinking just maybe one or two petals.  Then my inner self starts selling my outer self to have just one more…. And then another and then Poof!  Before you know it, they’re all gone. Plate is empty. I was weak.  My inner self says, an onion is a vegetable and so you had one vegetable today.  Be proud.  My outer self says, you just ate an entire plate of fried onions…. Go get on the scale. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fried Onion Petals

1 large Vidalia onion

Wet batter

1 medium egg

½ cup milk

Dry batter

1 cup flour

1 ½ teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 ½ teaspoon oregano

1 ½ teaspoon cumin

3-4 small onions

Vegetable oil for frying

 

Peel the onion. Cut off the non-root end first. Slicing off the end makes a flat surface so it isn't rolling around while you're trying to cut it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Place the onion with the cut side against the cutting board and the root end on top. Cut off all four sides around the root end. You'll essentially have a core in the middle, which you won't be using.

Slice the four cut pieces into two or more segments to make them petal-sized. The pieces should be sized as evenly as possible so that they will all take about the same amount of time to cook. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pull apart the onion layers. Now you have onion petals! Set aside while you make your batter.

Batter

Mix all your wet ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix all your dry ingredients in a small shallow bowl.

In a large skillet, add oil and heat over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until hot and lightly rippling. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To coat your onions, dip into the wet batter, then the dry batter, then back into the wet, and dry again. set aside and repeat for all petals.

Drop them into the hot oil and let them fry for a minute, then carefully turn them over and fry the other side. Remove from oil and place onto a paper towel lined plate.  Repeat for all the onions. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dipping sauce

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

3 tablespoons sour cream

2 teaspoons ketchup

1 tablespoon horseradish mayo sauce or regular horseradish

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon black pepper

 Combine all ingredients for sauce and blend well. Set aside for dipping.

 

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.