Thanksgiving is almost here! Only a few more days until we get to say thanks for all the good events and people that graced our lives over the past year. Of course, our thanks would not be complete without an all-day marathon gorge fest.

After the glorious turkey, mashed potatoes lathered with gravy, piping hot biscuits, tart cranberry sauce and 23 other dishes, the great finale of any traditional Thanksgiving meal are the pies. Along with the pies comes the great pie debate. Apple pie or cherry pie? Pumpkin pie or lemon meringue pie? Blueberry pie or the ever mysterious chess pie?

One of my favorites is the classic pecan pie, although it is usually missing a very important key ingredient. Chocolate! Once you experience pecan pie loaded up with chocolately chip goodness you will never want to settle for regular, plain old, chocolate-lacking pecan pie again.

How pecan pie minus chocolate chips is the standard completely boggles my mind. I found a mini pie pan at Christmas Tree Shop last year and have been itching to bake up some cuteness.

Mini pies are fantastic because they take less time in the oven, are adorable and you can have a whole pie all to yourself! Thanksgiving is all about sharing, but when it comes to dessert… just don’t get your fork too close to my pie…

Mini Molten Chocolate Pecan Pies

 

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Yield: 5 mini pies

Ingredients

• 3 eggs, beaten
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup dark corn syrup
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1¼ cups pecan halves
• ¾ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 sheet unbaked pie crust, pressed into mini pie pans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pre-bake the pie shells, making sure to use pie weights, for 7 minutes.
2. Combine the eggs, brown sugar, flour, vanilla extract and corn syrup in a medium mixing bowl. Add the melted butter and stir. Add the pecans and chocolate chips then stir. Distribute evenly into the prepared mini pie shells.
3. Bake for 20 minutes with a sheet pan underneath to catch any dripping.

Notes

To make one pie instead of mini pies, press the pie crust into a 9" pan. Pour all the filling into the pie shell then bake for 50-60 minutes. Cover the crust with aluminum foil partway through baking so the crust doesn't get burnt.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

Did you know Tuesday was National Dessert Day? I didn’t until I saw hundreds of dessert pictures on Instagram. As I scrolled through picture after picture of gooey, velvety indulgence I thought to myself, “why is my phone not edible?” I mean, “I should share a dessert recipe with my Lemon & Mocha readers!” Yup, that’s what I said.

I knew it would have to be decadent and of course there is nothing more glorious in the world than chocolate. But chocolate with a creamy cheesecake layer? Heavenly. The first time I made cream cheese swirl brownies I could not believe how easy it was. That right there is truly dangerous knowledge.

These coconut cream cheese brownies are super simple, but incredibly delicious. The coconut provides a nice unexpected flavor and is enhanced by the use of almond extract. You can use your favorite brownie batter recipe for these coconut cream cheese brownies. I, however, have a confession to share:  I am obsessed with the Ghiradelli Triple Chocolate brownie mix.

I am sure many people out there share this same obsession as it makes un-real brownies in the most amazing way possible. I am always about making recipes and ingredients completely from scratch, but I haven’t even attempted making brownies from scratch because I love this box mix so much.

I said it world, I love a box mix! If you have an unbelievable scratch brownie recipe though please send it my way as I would love to test it out. Anyways, back to these coconut cream cheese brownies. Make them. That is all.

Coconut Cream Cheese Brownies

 

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Yield: 16 brownies

Ingredients

• 1 package brownie mix with ingredients according to package, or your favorite brownie batter recipe
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup shredded toasted coconut

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9” by 9” baking pan and set aside.
2. Prepare the brownie mix according to the package instructions. Pour into the prepared baking pan.
3. Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer or a hand mixer on medium speed beat the cream cheese until fluffy.
4. Add the sugar then mix until combined. Add the egg, almond extract & coconut then mix until combined.
5. Dollop the cream cheese mixture over the brownie batter then gently spread evenly as much as possible over the brownie mixture. To create a marbled effect, carefully swirl through the batter with a knife.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely then cut into squares before serving. Refrigerate until ready to serve, then let come to room temperature if desired.

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 Recipe slightly adapted from Duncan Hines.

Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

Today is an amazing day. It is Lemon & Mocha’s one year blogiversary! What is a blogiversary you ask? A blog anniversary, of course! It has been one year since I wrote my first ever post on this site.

For years I would hungrily read others’ food blogs eager to start my own and was always delighted when there would be some epic and exciting blogiversary post. I couldn’t wait to one day have my own blogiversary and here we are, how crazy is that?

I cannot say enough to thank my family, friends, blog readers and hungry web browsers who have encouraged and supported me throughout this past year. For anyone who has ever shared Lemon & Mocha with a friend, made one of my recipes, liked a Facebook post, or simply let me know the photos made them hungry, I love you!

Every single comment and e-mail is sure to make my day and brings even more joy to something I already love doing so much.

Deserving of a very special thank you is Matt who has been by my side for every photo shoot, gorge session, kitchen melt-down (yes, there were quite a few of those), WordPress update and post edit. The amount of love and time he has put into Lemon & Mocha simply because he knows how much it means to me is remarkable; I am forever grateful and blessed!

Here at Lemon & Mocha we are celebrating with something very exciting- this unbelievable recipe for rainbow inside-out faux Hostess hi-hat cupcakes. Whew, that was a mouthful, but the name says it all! Oh baby, these are out of this world! I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves, as well as previous posts on my Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes and chocolate ganache. Enjoy and thanks for visiting!

Rainbow Inside-Out Faux Hostess Hi-Hat Cupcakes & One Year Blogiversary!

 

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Yield: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 24 chocolate cupcakes, chilled in the fridge
• 18 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (2¼ sticks)
• 4½ cups powdered sugar
• 2¼ cups marshmallow creme (Fluff)
• 4½ tablespoons heavy cream
• Food coloring, if desired
• 1 batch chocolate ganache, still warm and in the saucepan

Directions

1. Beat together the butter, powdered sugar, marshmallow creme, and heavy cream with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer. Start slowly to make sure you don't coat your kitchen with powdered sugar then increase the speed to medium or medium-high. Continue to beat until the mixture is fluffy.
2. If planning to make the cupcakes rainbow colored, divide the filling into 4 separate bowls. Dye each bowl of frosting a different color. I did green, blue, yellow and purple. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a wide round tip with 1 color of frosting. To frost the cupcakes I piped a circle rim around the edge of the cupcake then loosely filled in a thin layer so the top surface was covered. I then piped around in a circle slowly bringing the swirl inwards as it got higher and brought it to a point. After frosting place the cupcakes in the freezer and chill until the frosting is hardened. Continue with each color of frosting.
3. Working with 2 cupcakes at a time, take the cupcakes out of the freezer. Tilt the saucepan with the ganache and dip the frosting portion of the cupcake into the ganache. Make sure the frosting is completely coated. Place the ganache-topped cupcakes in the fridge to chill then repeat with 2 more cupcakes. Keep chilled in the fridge until serving.

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Lauren Uncategorized 6 Comments

It is part two of the Lemon & Mocha honey series! Weren’t you just sitting there in anticipation since Wednesday’s sweet and sticky honey baked wings? I won’t be upset if you weren’t. I will, however, be upset if you don’t shout with joy now that you are finally reading the second honey post. No pressure.

Honey is found in many desserts from honey cakes to sticky buns. My grandma uses honey to amp up her oatmeal cookies. One of my favorite ways to eat honey at dessert time is in ice cream. No surprise there.

This honey ice cream with candied almond crumble is sweet, smooth and crunchy all at once. The honey flavors comes through very strong, which is perfect if you want a bold dessert featuring honey. If you are not a huge honey fan you can either use a more subtle honey or substitute half the honey with another flavoring of your choice, such as peanut butter.

Did I mention the almonds yet? They are coated with a sugar syrup then left to cool and harden making them sweet, snackable and impossible to stop eating. But save some for your ice cream!

Honey Ice Cream with Pralined Almond Crumble

 

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Yield: 1 quart

Ingredients

for the ice cream

• 1½ cups heavy cream
• ½ cup good-flavored honey
• 1½ cups whole milk
• ¼ cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 5 large egg yolks

for the pralined almond crumble

• ¼ cup water
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup whole almonds, unblanched and untoasted
• ⅛ teaspoon coarse salt

Directions

for the ice cream

1. Add the heavy cream and the honey to a large bowl. Place a fine mesh sieve over top and set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium-low whisk together the milk, sugar and salt until warm. Meanwhile whisk together the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Carefully pour the warmed milk mixture, whisking constantly, then pour the whole mixture back into the medium saucepan.
3. Place the saucepan over low heat and cook the mixture while stirring until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes. Make sure the mixture never reaches a boil. Remove from the heat and pour through the fine mesh strainer into the large bowl.
4. Place the large bowl in an ice bath. Slowly add the cream and continue to stir while sitting in the ice bath until cool.
5. Once cool, remove from the ice bath then cover and chill in the fridge overnight.
6. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions, pouring in 1 cup of the pralined almond crumble with 5 minutes left.

for the pralined almond crumble

1. Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil and set aside.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat combine the water, sugar and almonds. Cook and stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the liquid comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved then reduce heat to medium.
3. Continue to cook until the liquid mixture has become sandy in texture. Continue to stir the dark syrup making sure to scrape from the bottom and completely coat the almonds. Keep stirring until the almonds are shiny and glossy.
4. Remove the pan from the heat before sprinkling with the salt. Pour onto the prepared baking sheet and spread them out. Let them completely cool, breaking up any clusters as needed.
5. Roughly chop. Pour 1 cup into the ice cream mixture with 5 minutes left. Reserve the rest for topping.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

We are still in the peak of peach season. Although it varies based on the year’s climate, peach season is at its peak during July and August. So it’s not too late to squeeze the most out of this juicy sweet fruit!

I love cooking and baking with in season ingredients because they are at the pinnacle of their deliciousness. When I was down in Delaware for my annual family reunion a couple weeks ago my Aunt Dottie grabbed some local peaches at a farmer’s market and asked me to make a peach dessert for dinner.

I realized I didn’t have a go-to peach dessert so I quickly started scouring the web for a recipe that would help the fresh peaches shine. When I stumbled across this recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe I knew it was the one. Just reading the recipe made me drool as I imagined how light and refreshing it would taste. I also loved that it looked simple to whip up.

This peaches, blueberries and cream delight is aptly named. We know from my browned butter peach ice cream with graham cracker crumble that peaches and graham crackers are a tasty pair. This dessert starts with a subtly sweet and buttery no-bake graham cracker crust. Then a sturdy whipped cream is made and folded into the fresh peach slices and blueberries.

You can adapt this dessert to whatever fruit is your favorite or in stock at your local farmer’s market. Strawberries, plums or any other stone fruit and berries would work well. The next combination on my list is peaches and raspberries… mmm. Enjoy!

Peaches, Blueberries & Cream Delight

 

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Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

for the crust

• 3 cups graham cracker crumbs, about 2 sleeves of graham crackers
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 12 tablespoons butter (1 ½ sticks), melted

for the filling

• 8 ounces light cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups heavy cream, chilled
• 5 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions

for the crust

1. Combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter and mix until combined. Reserve ⅓ of the crumb mixture for topping the dessert. Press the remaining crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9” by 13” pan. Refrigerate while making the filling.

for the filling

1. In a large bowl beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together until light with a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Beat in the vanilla.
2. Carefully pour in the heavy cream and beat on low. As the mixture starts to come together bring the speed up to medium-high and continue until the mixture is thick and airy.
3. Take the crust out of the fridge and spread a thin layer of the cream over the crust. Layer the sliced peaches on top, followed by the blueberries.
4. Scoop large blobs of cream onto the fruit and carefully bring together with your rubber spatula to cover the fruit. Continue adding the cream until the 9” by 13” pan is filled to the edges.
5. Sprinkle with the reserved graham cracker crumbs and cover with plastic wrap before returning to the fridge. Let sit in the fridge for 2-12 hours before serving.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments