I know it has been quite some time since I last posted. I did take a mini baking break this spring when the weather starting to perk up, however I do have two new favorite EASY recipes from Anne Thornton. Unfortunately I don't have pictures, but they both were fabulous!
I made the Nutella Banana Brioche Bread Pudding for Mother's Day. My mother of course made way too much food, so I had plenty left over. This is extremely rich, but delicious with fresh whipped cream. I couldn't find a Brioche bread, so I used Challah bread from Panera and that worked out just fine.
My second new favorite recipe is Anne Thornton's Gooey Chocolate Pudding Cake. My mother makes a very similar cake, but I like this one better! It is extremely easy to make, and chances are you already have all the ingredients in the kitchen. It's a great recipe to have when you are invited somewhere last minute or have unexpected guests.
However, I highly recommend using King Arthur's Double Dutch Cocoa. It really makes a huge difference (and the brownie recipe on the package is to die for). The final result is similar to a molten lava cake, but already kind of mushed up.
You can make it ahead of time and then stick it inthe oven for a few minutes to warm it up prior to serving it. Most recently I served it with Ben & Jerry's Peppermint Pattie ice cream and it was the perfect companion!
I also I had my first try at French Macarons, they came out...OK. Not perfect, but not bad for a first try. It was also ridiculously humid the day I tried making them, not a good idea when working with egg whites. I filled them with a homemade lemon curd or strawberry buttercream.
I had plenty of fillings left over. So, why not make cupcakes!! I made a basic vanilla cupcake, but added lemon zest and my new favorite ingredient, Fiori di Sicilia. Then, I filled the cupcakes with the lemon curd and topped them with the remaining strawberry buttercream. YUM!
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephaniessweettreats/5870364960/" title="Macarons and Lemon Strawberry Mini Cupcakes 3 by slporter84, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6049/5870364960_956b9f13de.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="Macarons and Lemon Strawberry Mini Cupcakes 3"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephaniessweettreats/5869805803/" title="Macarons and Lemon Strawberry Mini Cupcakes 5 by slporter84, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3230/5869805803_31b11f2be6.jpg" width="334" height="500" alt="Macarons and Lemon Strawberry Mini Cupcakes 5"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephaniessweettreats/5870362038/" title="Macarons and Lemon Strawberry Mini Cupcakes 13 by slporter84, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3161/5870362038_644d990cd4.jpg" width="334" height="500" alt="Macarons and Lemon Strawberry Mini Cupcakes 13"></a>
