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Fresh Cherry Crisp

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Fresh Cherry Crisp I Pretty Little Pastimes

Fresh Cherry Crisp

This time of year means a lot of things to me, backyard barbecues, trips to the beach and fresh fruit everywhere! Sometimes I get a little overzealous at the store and end up with more fruit than I know what to do with. If I knew that I only had a couple days left before it went bad, I used to always ask aloud, “What should I do with this?” The immediate response from the BF was, “Something easy, like a crisp”. I used to cringe at this statement, because the “something easy” crisp had eluded me for years. Without fail, it would cook unevenly or I would end up with a mouthful of pure sugar when biting into it, ick. But after multiple failed attempts, I finally ended up with a winning recipe. It is quick and easy (really this time), perfect for a weeknight menu. I have made this twice in the last month, once with fresh strawberries and again with fresh cherries. But this recipe is not just for those warm summer months, with the addition of a little cinnamon and clove to your fresh fruit, it is perfect for Fall! So keep it handy!

Fresh Cherry Crisp I Pretty Little Pastimes

Fresh Fruit Crisp

  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3 cups fresh fruit; chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together oatmeal, flour, brown, sugar and walnuts. Cut in butter until crumbly. In a separate bowl, mix fresh fruit with white sugar. Grease an 8″ square pan and spread half of the crumb mixture in an even layer on bottom. Layer the fruit next, followed by the remaining half of the crumb mixture. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve warm.

Topped with a little vanilla frozen yogurt or fresh whipped cream and this quick and tasty dessert will really hit the spot!

Fresh Strawberry Crisp I Pretty Little Pastimes

Fresh Strawberry Crisp

Lucky Charms Rainbow Cupcakes

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Lucky Charms Rainbow Cupcakes! I Pretty Little Pastimes

This St. Patrick’s Day I wanted to make one of my favorite themed cupcakes – Rainbow Cupcakes! I have made them a few times now, sometimes with green sprinkles on top, a white cloud of frosting, or even a shamrock, but this year I wanted to try them with some Lucky Charms brand cereal to make it a little more playful. I knew I also wanted to keep the “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow” theme, so I searched for some gold wrapped chocolate coins. They were not the easiest to track down, but I found a great little candy shop in our local mall that sold them by the pound. I just might have “accidentally” purchased a little more than I needed (whoops). They may look like I spent hours in the kitchen baking, but they are actually very simple to make and only a couple of extra steps then making a traditional cupcake. Whether you make them for friends, family, or just because, this Pretty Little Pastime is sure to get everyone in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit!

White Cake

  • 2 1/2 cups cake flour sifted
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 3 egg whites (at room temperature)
  • food coloring (primary colors: red, blue, yellow, green)

Decorations

  • 15 cupcake liners
  • 2 cups Lucky Charms brand cereal
  • gold wrapped chocolate coins (optional)

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-muffin tins with cupcake liners. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add butter, 3/4 cup of milk, vanilla, and almond extract and beat on low until blended. Increase speed to high and beat for another two minutes. With a spatula, scrape the sides of the bowl and add the remaining 1/4 cup milk and egg whites. Beat for 30 seconds on high.

rainbow cupcake batter 2

Rainbow Cupcakes I Pretty Little Pastimes

Separate the batter equally into 5 small bowls. Add the food coloring one drop at a time to make up the colors: red, orange, yellow, green and blue. You can also add purple, but I skip it so the cupcakes do not get too dark on top. Once you have the colors at your desired hue (remember they do darken slightly while baking), spoon each color one at a time into the liners. Try to pour the batter into the middle of the liner in a steady stream, so it spreads evenly. Continue with each color until all of your tins are  1/2 to 3/4 full. Place the muffin tins on the center rack and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove the cupcakes and let cool completely.

Rainbow Cupcakes I Pretty Little Pastimes

Vanilla Frosting

  • 3 sticks + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cubed
  • 3 cups sifted confectioners sugar
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt

To start your frosting, whip the butter on medium speed for 8 minutes. Once the butter is creamy, add the sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt and mix on low for 1 minute. Turn up the speed to medium and continue to mix for another 6 minutes. Add green food coloring to the frosting to get a pale green color. Top the cooled cupcakes with your frosting in an even layer. Immediately top with a sprinkle of Lucky Charms brand cereal and repeat until all cupcakes are complete.

I love making these cupcakes and giving them to people as a little St. Patrick’s Day treat! They are always surprised when they bite in and see all of the rainbow colors. The cake and frosting recipes are also good to keep on hand for a quick cupcake anytime. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Pupcakes

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ImageOne of our two little pups, Bogart, celebrated his first birthday this past weekend. We adopted him as a puppy from a local animal rescue when he was only 12 weeks old. He was my first puppy (our second pup we adopted as an adult), so it has been such a fun experience watching him grow and learn over the last year. I decided to make him a special treat for his big day. These “Pupcakes” are a Pretty Little Pastime, your four-legged best friend will definitely approve of!

What you will need:

Ingredients:

  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla (alcohol-free)
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour (preferred) or white flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

I reserved extra peanut butter and shredded carrots to top my pupcakes. I also used Milk Bone brand treats and Beggin’ Strips to finish decorating.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the egg, peanut butter, oil, vanilla, and honey. Blend well. Stir in the carrots and mix thoroughly. Sift flour and baking soda together and fold into batter.

Fill 6 lined cupcake molds 3/4 of the way full with the batter. Bake for 20 minutes (35-40 minutes if making one full cake) or until cooked through. Remove from the oven and let the pupcakes cool completely before frosting.

Once cooled, spread peanut butter over the tops of the pupcakes and top with remaining carrot shred “sprinkles”. Break a Beggin’ Strip in half and push one side firmly into the cake to keep in place. Add a Milk Bone treat in front of the strip and your pupcakes are ready to be served!

Image

Bogey loved his birthday pupcake and just like most kiddos he took the time to lick off all the frosting first! I made sure to remove the wrapper before he started on the cake also. This recipe only makes 6 pupcakes, which is great for a little birthday treat, and can easily be doubled or tripled if you are having a bunch of party animals over. It is sure to get all of their tails wagging!

Check back for more on our Doggy Birthday celebration.