Cream Cheese Apple Cake

Cream Cheese Apple Cake

Oven Temperature: 350 Degrees

Prep. Time: 30 Minutes

Cook Time:  1 Hour 15 Minutes

Total Time: 1 Hour 45 Minutes

There was a time when I was younger that I absolutely adored apples. I would have at least one apple every day. Then again, I would always have some sort of caramel chocolate with it. After all, who doesn't like the stellar combo of apples and caramel? Now that I'm older, I find that I have to actually crave an apple. Yes, I have weird random cravings. Lately, those random cravings have been showing up a lot more often. I was craving apples, but not in a typical Apple Pie. Of course, I just had to find a recipe that had apples, and it was a must that I bake something. You see, finding a recipe is usually what takes me forever. Believe it or not, the actual baking takes less time. Maybe it's because I'm OCD and like to obsess over researching every aspect and reading every comment. It takes a lot for me to actually try a recipe. I finally found one that satisfied me on One Perfect Bite. This blog is truly amazing. I don't link to original recipes often, but this is definitely a blog you should check out. Such thought and time are put into each and every recipe and post, it's definitely worth the time. Anyways, I read and re read the recipe and went over every detail. Then I got to work. The results, stellar. Absolutely phenomenal. Impeccable.

This apple cake is just one of a kind. The cake itself is slightly dense with the perfect crumb to it. It's moist and velvety and the apples add a beautifully soft bite. You get the slight hint of cinnamon and the richness from the cream cheese. This cake just has the most amazing texture. Try it out. It does take a little extra prep time, but the result is definitely worth it.

Ingredients:

3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 Cup Butter (Softened)
12 oz. Cream Cheese (Softened)
2 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar
4 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
1 1/4 lbs. Apples (Peeled and Diced)
Powdered Sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour two (9 x 5 x 2-inch) loaf pans or a 10 Cup Tube Pan. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together. Set aside.
Put butter, cream cheese, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat ingredients on medium-high speed until mixture is very light in color (almost white) and texture is fluffy, about 6 to 8 minutes. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl once during the process to insure that butter is evenly incorporated. Crack eggs into a liquid measure and add vanilla. With mixer on low speed, slowly pour mixture into bowl allowing eggs to fall in one at a time. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl. Add sifted dry ingredients on low speed; stop mixing as soon as flour is incorporated. Fold apples in by hand using a stiff spatula and scrape batter into prepared pan. Place pans in the middle of the oven and bake 60-75 minutes rotating pans halfway through baking time. When cake is finished, a wooden skewer inserted in the middle should come out clean. Allow cakes to cool 15 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely and cover with a thick dusting of powdered sugar.

Cheesecake Squares

Cheesecake Squares

Oven Temperature: 325 Degrees

Prep. Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 40 Minutes

Total Time: 1 Hour

I LOVE cheesecake. As a kid, I always thought it was gross. I mean, come on, who puts cheese in cake? Us Arabs eat cheese for breakfast. But as you all know, I am super easy going when it comes to trying new food. That's how I came to love cheesecake.
When I was younger, I didn't have many friends. Personally, I preferred to do my own thing. Give me a good book and some yummy food and I could keep myself entertained for hours. Rarely did I have friends over, but when I did, it was my friend Iman. Of course, she would be bring the whole family with her (because we all come in 6 packs). Of course she would also bring some sort of dessert with her. One night, she came over and brought a strawberry swirl cheesecake with her. Nur, meet Cheesecake, Cheesecake, meet Nur.
How had I not had cheesecake before? I mean my mom's favorite restaurant (by favorite, I mean the only one she'll go to) is The Cheesecake Factory. Their specialty is cheesecake, and yet I had never tried it before. This introduction was truly a pleasure. I took one bite, and I was hooked. This wasn't even a gourmet cheesecake, it was just a plain 'ole bakery one. At that moment I knew that I had to make a cheesecake. I just had to.
Of course, my motivated eager self got up the next morning and started the journey to a cheesecake. Forget the fact that I had never seen a cheesecake pan before. I had my mom buy me all the stuff and I got to work. That cheesecake. Oh. My. God. It was horrible. Yes, horrible. Everything worked out fine, but I baked the life out of it. It was not a cheesecake, it was a hard block of cheese. I actually waited until a toothpick came out clean. And if that wasn't enough, I let it cool in the oven. Because I hadn't already dried the life out of it. Let's just say, since that day I could not look at a cheesecake again. I had nightmares. I buried myself in a hole and refused to come out. Okay, so I am a little dramatic. I didn't do that. But, I also never attempted a cheesecake again. Until now. I am proud to say that I am proud of this cheesecake. This was truly an achievement, and I would like to share it with all of you.
This cheesecake is truly a masterpiece. The crust is beautifully sandy. The graham crackers are perfectly fine with a nice coating of smooth butter. You get the hint of honey from the graham crackers, and the perfect richness from the butter. The crust is so perfectly proportioned with the amount of cheese filling. The filling is smooth, creamy, and perfectly cheesy. The decadence of the pure vanilla cuts through the heaviness of the cream cheese. The slight amount of sugar balances with the sour cream to achieve the perfect amount of sweetness. Top these little squares with any topping you want, and you have a whole new flavor profile. These squares are the perfect canvas for creativity. You can not get enough of these. Cut them small. You won't feel as bad eating the whole tray. Trust me. I know.

Ingredients:

Graham Cracker Crust
2 heaping Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
3 tbsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon (Optional)
3/4 Cup Butter (Melted)

Cheesecake Filling
3  8-oz. Packages Cream Cheese (Softened)
1 Cup Sugar
3 tbsp Flour
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 Eggs (Slightly Beaten)
16 oz. Sour Cream

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line the bottom of a 13x9 pan with parchment paper. Don't skip this. You may be tempted not to, but this will make your life easy. Do it.
Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and butter in a bowl. Mix until everything is evenly coated, and press into the bottom of the lined pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes, while you prepare the filling.
To prepare the filling, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sour cream, vanilla, sugar, and flour. Mix well. Stir in the eggs. Don't over mix you batter. The crust should be ready by now. Take it out, and evenly pour the filling on top of it. Bake for about 40 minutes. Now here is what you need to do. Make sure that the cheesecake is till jiggly when you take it out. The cheesecake should also NOT be browned at all. As the cheesecake sets, the jiggle will go away. It's like Jello. Use your best judgment, but these 40 minutes should be just about perfect for this consistency. Start checking on it at the 34 minute mark and you should be okay. You can do this. I promise.
Once it's ready, cool it completely at room temperature. After that, wrap it up and put it in the fridge overnight. When you're ready to slice it, just pull it out using the wax paper as handles (I told you not to skip this step). It should come out cleanly. Slice it up and top it. Or you can just leave it plain. Now, eat it. Because, that's what I did. To all of it. 

Mini Apple Pies

Mini Apple Pies

Oven Temperature: 425 Degrees

Prep. Time: 1 Hour

Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Total: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

I have something to admit. I have never made a pie before. It wasn't until last month that I made my first pie. Of course, the credit has to go to Pinterest. You see, I lovvvvvveee babies. Personally, I think if you take any regular size anything and make it into a mini baby size, it's just automatically cuter. So, you can imagine how I ooooohed and awwwwed when I saw these babies. I was determined to make them. Fortunately for me, we had a ton of apples and enough butter to make these little masterpieces. I'm not gonna lie; I was more enthusiastic to try making a pastry crust for the first time then I was to actually eat the pie. It's not that I hate Apple Pie. I like Apple Pie; I really do. I'll eat it if it's the only dessert there, or if I have to choose between it and some baby food pie like pumpkin. That being said, I'm not crazy about it. I mean, if you say Apple Pie, I don't drool like I would over a doughnut, or a lava cake. However, I was still really excited to make it. And, boy am I glad I was, because this has changed the image of Apple Pie in my mind forever.
This Apple Pie has the perfect amount of sweetness. The Granny Smith apples sweeten it perfectly while the Jonagold apples add the perfect texture to it. The brown sugar and cinnamon caramelize the apples so nicely leaving them sticky, tart, and delicious. The apples plump up as they cook and retain the perfect balance of texture. The nutmeg gives this gooey caramel mess a nice little kick. Then, you add the lemon juice. It sizzles. It adds a freshness, and just puts the cherry on top. The dough is ever so flaky and just welcomes the filling as it is poured into these little crust cups. As they bake, the filling sizzles, it bubbles out the top of the crumb topping and a golden brown color shades the top of each pie. You can hear the gooey bubbles as they sizzle and slowly pop. Then, you take a bite. That bite. The crust flakes. The crumb topping crunches perfectly. The apples are soft with a bit of texture. You get the cinnamon, and then the hint of nutmeg. The whole thing together just marries in your mouth. The spices bring in the warmness of the holiday season, and the light crispness of the apples welcomes the cold crisp weather outside. It's the perfect feeling, the best feeling. Nothing can ruin it. Nothing.

Ingredients:

Piecrust
2 1/2 Cups Flour
3 tsp Sugar
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter (Cubed and Chilled)
6 tbsp Vegetable Shortening (Chilled)
5-6 tbsp Ice Water

Filling
2 Pounds Apples (Personally I use whatever I have. Granny Smith and Jonagold work great!)
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
2 1/2 tsp Cornstarch
1 tsp Lemon Juice

Egg Wash
1 Egg
1 tbsp Cold Water

Directions:
Start by peeling, coring, and cutting the apples. You want them to be about 1/4 inch slices. In a pot, add the apples, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and cornstarch. Cook covered on medium heat for about 20 minutes, until the apples are tender. Uncover and continue to cook stirring occasionally for another 10 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat and set aside in a bowl until cooled.

You can do this step in a food processor or in a bowl. I did it in a food processor. I will include instructions for doing it by hand.

Begin by pulsing the flour, and sugar together. Add the butter and shortening and blend until you have coarse crumbs. You want this mixture to look like crumbs. If you are doing this by hand, mix the sugar and flour; with a pastry cutter or a fork, cut the butter and shortening through the flour. Now you will add the ice water. Whether you do this by hand or with the food processor, you need to add the ice water slowly. Drizzle the water in and pulse the food processor If doing this by hand, just continue to cut the water through the crumbs. You want the dough to come together. In the food processor, the dough will just all combine and stick to the blade. By hand, you will have to knead the dough to allow it to combine nicely. Either way, do not over-knead! Wrap the dough, and place in the refrigerator or two hours, or in the freezer for 30-40 minutes.
When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly flour a surface and roll the dough to 1/4" thickness. Spray the cupcake tin and set aside. With a cookie cutter or glass or tupperware or anything you have on hand, cut circles slightly larger then the cupcake opening. Work quickly so the dough doesn't dry. Fit the circles into the cupcake openings and gently fill with the apple filling. Fill it generously because the filling will shrink as it bakes. Dot the top of each pie with a little butter.

You can make the crust topping in many different ways. You can use small cookie cutters and just place shapes, or you can lattice the top crust. Personally, I have recently found it easier to place the leftover dough in the food processor to get little crumbs. I top each pie with a generous amount of crumbs, and OMG they are perfectly crisp when they come out of the oven. Whichever route you decide on is fine, just make sure to blend the egg with the water to make an egg wash and brush the tops of each apple pie. This will help the crust to brown evenly.
Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Remove from the oven and allow the pan to cool for 5-10 minutes. With a knife, go around each pie to loosen. Use a spoon to gently remove the pie. Enjoy!

Sahlab (Middle Eastern Milk Pudding)

Sahlab (Middle Eastern Milk Pudding)

Prep. Time: 5 Minutes

Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Total: 15 Minutes

Our weather is extremely bipolar. The other day I went to class at 12:15 pm. When I went to class, it was 64 degrees. It was sunny. It was beautiful. Again, it was 64 degrees. I left class at 1:45 pm. I walked down the stairs and opened the doors to head out to the train. An immense wind hit me, and if it weren't for the fact that my backpack weighs more than I do, I would have flew. It was cold. My fingers literally were stuck in place and my nose was already numb. I looked at my phone, and it was 13 degrees. Thats right, 13 degrees. I had not even brought a jacket because I had expected it to stay warm all day. By the time I got to the train I was numb. After I got on the train and the heat hit me, and my legs began to sting. It was as if I was defrosting. Oh. My God. So now, I will carry a jacket. Even if it's 80 degrees, because you never know!
On days like this I like to cuddle up on the couch and read a book. I absolutely love reading and I usually have at least 10 books checked out at once. At least it's a good habit, right? You know what's even better than sitting next to the fireplace and reading? Sitting next to the fireplace and reading while you eat Sahlab. I am totally amazing at multitasking. Make this Sahlab, and I am sure that you as well will master the art of multitasking.
This warm pudding is a slightly sweetened and thickened milk. You get a slight flavor from the mastic, and hint of sweetness from the sugar. The cornstarch thickens this pudding just enough. The toppings just put this pudding on a whole new level. The walnut adds a nice little crunch and nuttiness to the richness of this pudding. The coconut balances the richness by adding a slightly fresh and tropical flavor. Then, you have the ground cinnamon. This adds a warmth. It makes this pudding holiday worthy, winter worthy. It adds a slight sharpness to this pudding. When you get a bite of it all you have the perfect combination of textures and flavors. This pudding is truly heaven.

Ingredients:

Sahlab
6 Cups Milk (Whole Milk)
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Room Temperature Water
1 Cup Cornstarch
1/4 tsp Ground Mastic (Optional)

Topping
Shredded Coconut
Chopped Walnuts
Ground Cinnamon

Directions:
In a sauce pot, pour the milk and sugar. Heat on medium low, being careful not to scorch the milk. Stir frequently to help the sugar dissolve. In a measuring cup, measure a cup of water. Add the cup of cornstarch and mix well. Have the ground mastic set aside and ready. Also, have 8 cups or bowls, and a ladle ready and set aside. As soon as the milk comes to a slight boil pour in the cornstarch dissolved in water into the milk. Immediately begin stirring and continue to stir for a minute or two or until you pudding thickens and boil. Turn off the heat and add the mastic. Stir it in well and ladle the pudding into the cups or bowls. Top with shredded coconut, chopped walnuts, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Serve hot. Enjoy.

Opera Cake

Opera Cake

Oven Temperature: 400 Degrees, 350 degrees

Prep. Time: 1 1/2 Hours

Cook Time: 40 Minutes

Total Time: 2 Hours 10 Minutes

I am a total sucker for trying new things. I love trying new food, new clothes, and most of all new recipes. For some reason, the ridiculously time consuming intricate recipes seem to appear when I've got a specific Birthday Cake request. Back in December it was one of my friends birthdays, having been the one to make a previous cake for them, the birthday girl had a specific request. She wanted a cake that combined coffee, mocha, and chocolate flavors. Of course, she had to make it a little more difficult with a request for not too much coffee. I was up for the challenge. I spend all night looking up recipes on Pintrest and trying to think of how I could combine all these flavors. Then, I hit the jackpot. I found a link to what was called an opera cake. It looked beautiful, time consuming, difficult, and delicious. That was the perfect combination for me. I pinned the recipe and woke up bright and early the next morning to start working on my masterpiece.
Now the cake may seem a little difficult, but I promise, if you follow my detailed directions you will be fine. Also, when I began to layer the cake and cream I used a cheesecake pan. Since the cheesecake pan has a clasp to separate the bottom from the sides, it makes it perfect for layering this cake. I used a pan the same size as the ones I had baked my cake layers in. This held everything together perfectly and kept my ganache from dripping as the cake set. I would also recommend you place a parchment circle in the bottom of the cheesecake pan, as well all around the sides. My parchment sides were about two inches taller then the sides of the cheesecake pan, which is perfect  because this cake gets pretty tall. Just follow my directions by the letter, and read the whole thing before stating, and I promise that you too will accomplish this amazing to die for cake!
Of course now you're curious to how this cake tastes. I am lost on how to even describe it. The cake layers have a nutty flavor with a slight cookie like texture. The parts soaked in the coffee syrup are moist and amazingly sweet. Then you hit the buttercream. WOW. That buttercream. Its slightly flavored with a mocha paste and has the most delicate color. Add that to the ridiculously sweet chocolate ganache, and the crumbly cake and you have all these amazing flavors melded into a gorgeous and tasty cake. You need to try this. You must. The world will thank you. As will your taste buds.

Ingredients:

Joconde (The Cake)
200 g Finely Ground Almond (I used a food processor)
100 g Caster Sugar (Just Pulse Granulated Sugar in the food processor for 30 sec.)
6 Eggs
50 g Butter (Melted)
60 g All Purpose Four
115 g Egg Whites (3 or 4 Egg Whites depending on size, I used 4)
55 g Caster Sugar

Coffee Syrup
100 ml Coffee or 100 ml Hot Water with 15 g Instant Coffee
100 g Sugar (Personally I would leave out next time.)

Mocha Buttercream
100 g Egg Whites (2 or 3 Egg Whites, I used 3)
200 g Sugar
300 g Unsalted Butter (CUBED and CHILLED)
1/2 tbsp Mocha Paste (1 tbsp Instant Coffee, 1 tbsp Cocoa, 1/2 tbsp Water MIXED)
1 tsp Coffee Oil or Some sort of Extract

Chocolate Ganache
200 g Dark Chocolate
200 g Milk Chocolate
75 g Unsalted Butter
250 ml Heavy Cream

Chocolate Drizzle
1/4 Cup Chocolate
1 tsp Vegetable Shortening

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare two 8 inch pan by placing a parchment circle in the bottom and buttering and flouring the sides. In a large bowl combine the ground almond, sugar, and 3 whole eggs. Beat at medium speed for 10 minutes. Then beat in one egg at a time from the remaining three eggs. Beat each one until combined. After you add the last egg, beat for another 10 minutes. In another bowl stir in 1/4 cup of the almond mixture you just prepared with the melted butter. Set this mixture aside. Add the flour to the remaining almond mixture and combine. Set aside.
In another bowl beat the egg whites till foamy and then gradually add the 55 g caster sugar until soft peaks form. Combine both of the almond mixtures and then take 1/3 of the egg white mixture and gently mix it into the almond mixture to lighten the batter. After you have lightened the batter pour the whole thing into the rest of the egg whites and gently fold it all together! Do not mix or the batter will deflate! Seperate into two pans. Make sure they are even. Place the pans in the oven and immediatly decrease the temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for twenty minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans until they are completly cool. Take the cakes out of the pan, remove the parchment paper and slice each cake so you end up with four layers.
Now you need to prepare each of the layers. Make the coffee syrup by mixing the hot water with the instant coffee and then disolving the sugar. You can also just use a strong espresso and mix in the sugar. Set this aside to cool.
For the buttercream you want to use a double boiler. You can just use a pot with water and place a heatproof bowl on top. Make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl or you will scramble the eggs. Place the egg whites and caster sugar and using a beater beat at the slowest speed while heating the mixture. You can also whisk this mixture by hand. You want the sugar to dissolve in the egg whites. You can use a thermometer and just heat the mixture to 65 degrees Celsius, but lets be honest, not many of us have a thermometer. I know I don't. I just check by rubbing the mixture between my fingers to see if there are any sugar grains left. After the sugar is dissolved, pour this mixture into a clean cool bowl and beat at high speed until the mixture turns glossy. Now, take out the cubed butter from the fridge, and while beating, add one cube of butter at a time. Your mixture might start to seperate or deflate but it will come together when you're done. Beat well until the cream is light and fluffy. Now add in the mocha paste and coffee oil and 50 ml of the coffee syrup. Mix well.
Last but not least, you need to prepare the ganache.

Chop the chocoalate into small pieces. Heat the cream until its warm and then pour over the chocolate. Let it sit for five minutes and then mix well. Add the butter and continue to mix until everything is combined and smooth. Set aside until it thickens a little.

Assembling the Cake:
Set your prepared pan on a flat table. Place one of the cake layers down. Make sure the layer is upside down, meaning that the top of the cake is touching the bottom of the pan. Brush with the coffee syrup until moist. Spread half  of the buttercream. Cover with another layer of cake (always upside down). Again, brush with coffee syrup. Pour over half of the chocolate ganache. Layer with another cake and brush it with the coffee syrup. Spread the other half of the buttercream. Place the last layer of cake and brush with the rest of the syrup. Pour the rest of the ganache and spread nicely. Place in the refrigerator until set and then drizzle with chocolate. When ready to serve, release the cake from the pan and remove the parchment paper. Set in a plate and slice with a hot knife. Wipe the knife before each slice to preserve the layering. Enjoy. Store refrigerated for up to three days! NO MORE!
Enjoy!

Mini Fruit Tartlets

Mini Fruit Tartlets

Oven Temperature: 400 Degrees

Prep. Time: 1 Hour
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Total: 1 Hour 10 Minutes

We have a family friend that brings a fruit tart each time she comes over. The presentation of it is just stunning, but I have never been fond of the tart itself because of the fact that it has custard. I never actually tried it, I just assumed it was gross. Boy was I wrong! One night we were invited to my uncles for dinner, and my monstrous siblings had devoured all the french silk pie. You all know I have an insane sweet tooth, so I was kinda forced to eat the fruit tart. It was either that or no dessert for me. I ate every last bite of it, each bite testing better and better. I was inspired. I knew I had to replicate this myself; of course it had to taste better and it had to be in the mini form, because anything miniature is just better. So I did. The finished tartlets: Phenomenal.

The crust has a cute little rim I achieved with a flower cookie cutter. The crust itself is flaky with the perfect crisp to it. The ground pistachio adds a bit of color and a nutty undertone. The custard is creamy and rich. You get the slight hint of vanilla and the citrus from the orange zest. It all balances so well. The fruit itself is great and the apricot glaze not only adds a shine, but also a hint of sweetness. These bite size tartlets are perfect, because you get everything at once. The custard to crust ratio is perfect and the glazed fruit adds a subtle freshness to this surprisingly light dessert. The textures balance each other so well. You get the flakiness of the crust, the crunch of the pistachio, the creaminess of the custard, and the bite of the fruit. These are definitely worth the time. Although they disappear quickly, their flavor never leaves your mind. You will be hooked. I am. 

Ingredients:

Tart Shells

1 1/3 Cups All Purpose Flour

1/4 Cup Finely Ground Pistachios

1/4 Cup Sugar

1 Stick Butter (Chilled)

1 Egg

Pinch of Salt

For Baking

PIE WEIGHTS or BEANS

Foil

Orange Vanilla Infused Custard

1 Cup Milk

2 Egg Yolks

3 tbsp Sugar

1 1/2 tbsp Cornstarch

Zest of half an orange

1/2 tbsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 tbsp Butter

Pinch of Salt

Fruit Topping

3 Strawberries (Diced)

1 Kiwi (Diced)

20 Blackberries (Split in Half)

3 Slices of Pineapple (Diced)

Glaze

1 tsp Apricot Jam (Or any other light jam)

1 tsp water

Directions:

Begin by making the crust as it needs to chill before you can roll it out. In a food processor, place the ground pistachio, flour, salt, and sugar. Pulse to mix together. With the food processor running, add the butter in cubes from the top of the food processor. Allow it to mix until you get fine grains. Now, take off the lid and crack the egg. Put the lid back on and run the food processor until it all combines and you have large crumbs. Dump the crumbs on a clean counter and smash them all together to achieve a ball of dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge. 

Next, you make the custard. Pour the milk into a small saucepan and heat on low heat till boils. As the milk heats grab another bowl and crack the eggs. Separate the yolks and throw them in bowl. You don't need the whites. Either discard or save for another use. To the yolks, add the sugar, cornstarch, orange zest, vanilla extract, and salt. Whisk well until you have a smooth mixture. The milk should be boiling by now. Slowly temper the yolks by adding a small spoon of hot milk while whisking the eggs vigorously. With one hand whisk vigorously, and with the other pour small amounts of the milk. This will keep your yolks from scrambling. After this is all incorporated pour it all into the saucepan and whisk continuously until the custard thickens. Remove from heat and pour into a clean bowl. Whisk in the butter until it melts into the hot custard. This will put your custard over the top! After all, a little butter makes anything better!
Leave the whisk in the bowl. You need to put the bowl in an ice bath till it cools completely. Mix every once in a while to keep a layer from forming on top of the custard. 

Now you need to make your tartlets. I used two mini muffin pans. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and clear a table or counter for the rolling. Dust it with a bunch of flour. Split the dough in two and pat into a circle. Turn over the dough to dust both sides with a generous amount of flour. Believe me, this will keep your dough from breaking and sticking. Roll the dough to a 1/4 inch thickness flipping it every once in a while so it doesn't stick. You can cut them into circles with a cup pr biscuit cutter, but I used a flower cookie cutter because of the crimped edges it gave the tartlets. Spray the pan and place the crust into the tins pressing gently to you have a little cup. Continue doing this until you finish the dough. I ended up with 40 tartlets. You need to place pie weights or beans in the tartlets so the middle doesn't inflate in the oven. I cut little pieces of foil and put 4 beans in each placing them in the center of each tart. If you have kids, this a great little fun way they can help out. Bake the tartlets for about 8 minutes, or until you see the top edges start to become a golden brown. Remove them from the oven and take the foil bowls out immediately so they don't stick to the inside of the tart shell. Remove the tartlets with a spoon and place them on a cooling rack. 

As the tartlets cool dice all your fruit. You can use any fruit you have on hand, this is just the fruit that I had available the day I made these. Smaller fruits like blueberries probably won't need to be cut. 

Assemble the tartlets by placing 3/4 of a tsp of custard into each one. You can know arrange the fruit any way you want. Originally, I wanted to put some of each of the fruits, but I didn't realize how small these tartlets are. In the end I just toppled each tartlet with a different fruit. For the glaze I mixed a tsp of apricot jam with a tsp of water and microwaved it for 15 seconds. I used a pastry brush to glaze each tartlet. After that I just threw them in the fridge. You can store them in a closed Tupperware for up to three days, but I don't think they'll even last that long. Mine disappeared within the hour. I'm sure yours will as well. Enjoy these little shells of goodness!

Oreo Truffles

Oreo Truffles

Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Total Time: 30 Minutes

As you all already know, I have got an insane obsession with cookies. Anything in cookie form is just amazing taken to a whole new level. Of course, I have learned that I have to limit my sweet intake because it has gotten out of control lately. This means I no longer buy cookies. You see, I have no self discipline. If I buy a package of cookies, I will eat the whole package. Now, I don't mean that I'll eventually eat the whole package; I mean that if you give me a package of cookies, I am completely willing to destroy the whole thing in a matter of minutes. No joke. The joy I get as I devour cookies . . . You can only imagine my excitement when I realized that we had a whole sale package of Oreos sitting at the top of the pantry. They were just calling my name. I got the brilliant idea of making truffles. I have a few friends that make these amazing little mashed up Oreo and cheese balls that they call truffle. OH MY GOD are they amazing. If I ever go into diabetic shock, blame them. Now, I never actually expected them to be easy to make so I tried them. The first time I made them I used lollipop sticks and made them cake pop style. I also used white candy coating. They were a mess. I put way to much cream cheese (The Paula Deen in me) and they just wouldn't hold together. When I dipped them, they fell of the stick and I ended up with this goopey mess. Don't get me wrong, they were amazing flavor wise, but not so much presentation wise. In fact, they were just ugly. They looked like those Pintrest gone wrong pictures. I left them alone for awhile, and a few days a go I decided to give it another shot. I weighed the cream cheese and pulverized the life out of the Oreos. I made sure to freeze them for a little so the dough was easier to work with and I just used plain old chocolate chips for the coating. The results: ToDieForAmazingLittleBundlesOfJoy. They were just a pure work of art. You take a bite and the thin chocolate coating has a nice little bite to it. You get the perfect balance between the milk chocolate and the thin dark chocolate drizzle. Then, you taste the inside. The Oreo is just a perfect almost creamy consistency. Its rich, its creamy, and a beautiful balance. One is never enough. You will eat all of them. You will get sick of them, but you will still get up and make more when you see the Tupperware in the fridge quickly emptying out. Take a little extra time and make 'em pretty. Pack 'em up and take 'em as a gift. A marriage proposal is definitely something that will follow. These are to die for. I'm dead serious. No pun intended.

Ingredients:

17 oz Oreos (Usually a package, DON'T USE DOUBLE STUFF)
4 oz Cream Cheese (Decrease to 3 oz if using double stuff)
1 Cup Milk Chocolate Chips (or Use any chocolate you like)
1/4 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips (You can use any chocolate)
1 tbsp and 1 tsp Vegetable Shortening or Vegetable Oil

Directions:
Smash the life out of the Oreos. Personally, I don't like leaving any texture in them, so I throw them in the food processor until I get a fine sand. Dump them in with the cream cheese. To make it easier, soften it for 15 seconds in the microwave. Now, do not use a spoon for this step. Get your hands dirty. Mix the Oreos with the cream cheese until you have to no white spots of cheese visible. You want a cookie dough like texture.
Throw the bowl into the freezer for 15 minutes until the dough is little easier to work with. For this next step I find it easier to use a cutting board and knife.
Take the dough and roll it into rectangle or log like circle (makes perfect sense). Cut the dough in half. Then cut each half in half. You should have 4 pieces now. Cut each one in half and then each one of those in half again. You should end up with 16 truffles. Roll them into nice little balls and put them on tray lined with wax paper. Throw them in the freezer for like 15 minutes, until they are easier to dip in chocolate. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate with the veggie shortening until you have a thin consistency. Take the truffles out and roll them nicely as they will flatten a little on the tray. Dump each individual one into the chocolate and use a spoon to take it out and let the excess drip off. Put them on the tray and stick them in the freezer so the chocolate hardens. Melt the dark chocolate, put it in a Ziploc baggie, and snip a tiny corner off. Drizzle it on the truffles and place in the freezer till it hardens enough to take off the wax paper and put in individual mini muffin cups. Store in a closed Tupperware in the fridge for up to a week - if they last that long.