HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY

Crack Dip

April 1, 2015 By Holly

Sometimes I just want the cheesiest, savoriest, most decadent dip I can get my hands on for my cheat day, and sometimes ~~ok, always~~ I succeed in finding it.

Well, I suppose this time I didn’t find it or anything but made it. I kept seeing versions of this ‘crack dip’ online and obviously with a name like that I was intrigued. This dip by far exceeds any expectation I had y’all, it is cheesy, and savory and did I mention it has bacon bits in it?!

The ranch dressing mix ~~which makes everything better~~ in it gives it this extra oomph of awesome. This dip was in the pan and ready to be baked in less than 10 minutes, sooo obvi it is super easy to throw together.

After the first bite ~~insert awesome eye roll here~~ I couldn’t stop, it is no joke addicting, hence the ‘crack’ in the name. I’m gonna be honest and admit I devoured every bit of this stuff, so freaking good! 🙂

Cream cheese into the bowl…

Now the cheese…

Now the sour cream…

Now the ranch dip mix…

Bacon bits…mmm..bacon…

nice and mixed up…

into the pan…

baking…

Enjoy!!!

Crack Dip

2015-03-31 09:40:31

A cheesy, wonderful dip that is so good it's addicting.

Write a review

Save Recipe

Ingredients

8 Ounces of Cream Cheese, Softened.
1 (1 Ounce) Package of Ranch Dressing Mix.
1 (3 Ounce) Bag of Bacon Bits.
2 Cups of Cheddar Cheese, Shredded.
16 Ounces of Sour Cream.
1 Quart Baking Dish or 6" Baking Dish.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
With a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment add your cream cheese, cheddar cheese, sour cream, ranch dressing mix, and bacon bits into your bowl.
Mix all ingredients together until well incorporated and the texture is creamy.
Now place your mix into your dish and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes (I took mine out 28) or until hot and bubbly, serve immediately.

Notes

Different versions of this recipe called for a 2 quart baking dish which I found to be too big for the amount it makes, so I used a smaller round dish.

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Old Southern Sugar Cake

March 30, 2015 By Holly

I would like to start with an apology today for cooking something else in my iron skillet…well except for the part that I don’t really mean it hehe 🙂 Seriously, if there was a way of cooking everything in an iron skillet I would, there is just no substitute for how they cook.

Let me tell you, this cake is no exception. As the title of this cake implies, this is an old fashioned ~~and apparently Southern~~ kind of cake, almost like a sponge cake, but better.

It’s light and airy but hearty enough to hold a big slab of it in your hand without it falling apart. This is an incredibly easy cake to make, and it will fill your kitchen with the absolute most cozy, warm and yummy smell ever.

I sprinkled the top of the cake with powdered sugar, which was amazing btw, then ate it with ice cream and strawberries…ooh my, it was incredible. This cake is simple, but sometimes isn’t that just the best? Y’all enjoy this recipe, Happy Monday!

Let’s start with some milk, shortening and vanilla in your bowl, and mix these together…

All mixed…

Now, in a separate bowl, place your flour, baking powder and salt…

then add your sugar, it is a sugar cake after all, so mix these up…

now in small amounts, pour your flour mix into your milk/shortening… mix, mix, mix…mmm yummy batter…

now time for the egg whites…I think I see a furry someone waiting for something to drop on the floor…

into the bowl…

mix it all up, and into the skillet…

mmm, baking…

Enjoy!!!

yummm….

Old Southern Sugar Cake

2015-03-27 14:13:17

An old fashioned light, fluffy and slightly sweet cake.

Write a review

Save Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 Cup of Vegetable Shortening.
1 Cup of Milk.
1 1/2 Teaspoons of Vanilla Extract.
2 Cups Plus 2 Tablespoons of All-Purpose Flour.
1 1/2 Cups of Granulated Sugar.
4 Teaspoons of Baking Powder.
1 Teaspoon of Salt.
4 Large Egg Whites.
Powdered Sugar for Dusting (Optional).
10" Iron Skillet.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
With a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream together your milk, shortening and vanilla for a few minutes.
In a separate bowl, place your flour, baking powder, salt and sugar, and mix these all together.
Add flour about one third at a time, mixing until all is incorporated.
Now put in your egg whites, and mix until just combined.
Pour your batter into your oiled iron skillet and bake for 40-45 minutes (I took mine out at 42), let cool a little and serve with powdered sugar on top or with fresh fruit and ice cream.

Notes

I was concerned my cake was turning pretty brown on top towards the last 10 minutes or so of cooking, but no worries it was just perfect.

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

The Southern Basil

March 27, 2015 By Holly

Happy Friday y’all!! It’s so time to celebrate the upcoming weekend with an awesome cocktail, and this is definitely an awesome cocktail.

I think I’ve already made it very clear what a huge fan I am of Belles Organics products, so it should be no surprise I’m not only using their drink for this one but also their recipe for this particular drink, thank y’all for letting me borrow it 🙂

Among my favorite smells in the world, basil is definitely one of them, I mean, it even holds strong smell-wise with baking cookies and fresh coffee. Every time I get a big whiff of basil I think of summer time and homemade pizza, so that’s probably why I was so stoked when I saw this recipe on the Belles website. It takes their Southern Belle, which is their amazing lemonade vodka, then it is infused with fresh basil, yummmy y’all. One sip of this drink and I was transported to lazy summer weekends and lounging by the pool, aaahh. Get your weekend or cheat day started with this fresh, lovely drink too, you’ll be happy you did.

Obviously you can use a shaker, but I used a glass so I could see all the stuff, tear up your basil leaves…

I mean, look at their cute bottles, make sure to shake it up well…

Pour a little bit of your Southern Belle onto your basil…

Now get in there and muddle your basil…btw you don’t need a fancy tool, a spoon would be sufficient…

nice and smooshed…

now pour the rest of your Belles…

add your club soda and voila! ready to serve over ice…

yummm!!

The Southern Basil

2015-03-24 14:25:14

A delicious lemonade vodka infused with fresh basil.

Write a review

Save Recipe

Ingredients

6 Ounces of Belles Organics Southern Belle.
3 Large Organic Basil Leaves.
4 Ounces of Club Soda.
Crushed Ice.

Instructions

Make sure to shake the Belle bottle before opening, it is an organic product so ingredients tend to settle at the bottom.
Tear your basil leaves into small pieces and drop into your shaker or glass.
Pour 1-2 ounces of the Southern Belle onto the basil.
Then muddle, aka squish and press your basil to make sure the flavor infuses into the liquid.
Now add the remainder of your Southern Belle into your shaker or glass and stir or shake thoroughly.
Add your club soda to your drink, stir and serve.
Add ice if desired.

By Belles Organics

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Lady Peach Cupcakes

March 25, 2015 By Holly

Ok, so I would like to preface what I’m about to say with an assurance I am not in any way being paid to say the following…Belles Organics makes some of the best ~~damn~~ darn drinks I’ve ever had, for reals.

This brand was introduced to me by a friend and I was all ‘OMG, what is this?’ and she was all ‘it’s this awesome stuff called Belles’ then proceeded to hand me several in their line. Y’all, they have combined some amazing flavors together to make a super fun, super delicious (and did I mention organic?) line of drinks, you should definitely go check them out.

Which brings me to The Georgia Belle , one of my favs in the Belles line, which is a peaches n’ cream vodka ~~whhaaattt?!~~ it totally inspired these Lady Peach Cupcakes, which just so happen to have The Georgia Belle in the batter.. yummmm.

Oh my goodness y’all, these cupcakes are insane, like I had someone say these might be the best thing I’ve ever made(!), I mean how cool is that?!

It doesn’t hurt that I topped these insanely moist, almost gooey cobbler like cupcakes with a browned butter cream cheese frosting ~~droool~~. These are decadent for sure, and just filled to the brim with peaches, these are sooo swoon worthy ~~Rhett, I’m gettin’ the vapors!~~ seriously y’all make these incredible cupcakes and definitely get it on some Belles Organics action.

Let’s start with the peaches, thawed first of course…

Chop them up until the pieces are nice and small…

Pour your sugar onto your peaches, then mix it all up…

place your cake mix and flour into your bowl…

now add your oil…

then the peaches…

look at the bottle, how freaking cute is this?!

then the eggs and The Georgia Belle…

mix, mix, mix (I will admit I may have had a spoonful or two of this, soo yummy)…

place the batter in your cupcake liners…aren’t these cute? Wilton really outdid themselves on these…

bake, bake, bake…

while these lovelies are cooling, time for the frosting…so let’s brown some butter…

all melted, and now it’s bubbling…

the bubbling will start to subside as the water is cooked out of the butter, and when the milk solids start to turn brown like this…

remove from the heat, mmm perfectly browned butter…

place your browned butter in your bowl, so it can cool a little…

then add your softened butter…

mix it all up…

then add your cream cheese…

speaking of cream cheese, someone was hardcore begging for some..I mean, look that paw 🙂

mix it all together…

now add your sugar 1 cup at a time…

perfection…seriously my new fav frosting…

and enjoy!!!

Lady Peach Cupcakes

2015-03-23 14:30:16

Yields 27

A deliciously moist cupcake filled to the brim with peaches and topped with a browned butter cream cheese frosting.

Write a review

Save Recipe

THE CUPCAKES

1 Box of Yellow Cake Mix.
3 Tablespoons of All-Purpose Flour.
2/3 Cup of Belle's Organics Georgia Belle.
4 Eggs.
1/2 Cup of Vegetable Oil.
1 (20 Ounce) Package of Frozen Peaches, Thawed and Chopped.
1/2 Cup of Granulated Sugar.

THE FROSTING

3 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Softened.
1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Browned.
1 (8 Ounce) Block of Cream Cheese, Softened.
5 Cups of Confectioner's Sugar.

FOR THE CUPCAKES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line your cupcake tins with liners and set aside.
If you're using frozen peaches, make sure they are thawed out completely, place in a bowl and using a knife and fork chop up your peaches into smaller pieces and pour your sugar onto your peaches, mixing to make sure they are thoroughly covered.
With a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment, place your cake mix and flour in your bowl.
Now add your oil, the eggs, the peaches and your Belle's Organics, mix all together until well incorporated.
Using an ice cream scoop, place your batter into your cupcake liners until 3/4 of the way full.
Bake for 18-20 minutes (I took mine out at 18) or until they spring back to the touch.
Remove from oven and make sure they are completely cool before frosting.

FOR THE FROSTING

First, brown your butter by placing 1 stick of butter in your pan on medium heat, stir constantly until melted, then it will start to sizzle and pop and that will start to subside and once brown flecks start to form on the bottom of the pan and you smell a deliciously nutty aroma, remove from the heat and place in your bowl to let it cool a little before adding the next ingredients.
Add your softened butter to the browned butter and mix until well incorporated.
Now add your cream cheese and mix until smooth.
Now add your confectioner's sugar 1 cup at a time so as not to make a giant sugar mess, and whip the heck out of this until light and fluffy, and now you can pipe or spoon onto your cupcakes.

Notes

I used a Wilton disposable 16" bag and a Wilton 1M tip to pipe my frosting.

By Holly

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Oreo Cupcakes

March 23, 2015 By Holly

Y’all it had just been that kind of week, you know… the kind where all thoughts lead to chocolate? I can guarantee I am not the only one who has those kind of weeks right? ~~To make myself feel better~~ I will just go ahead and imagine all of you reading this are nodding your heads in agreement.

Okay, now that we have made it clear that I was having a major ~~obsession~~ hankering for chocolate, it brings me to these cupcakes. Theeessee cupcakes, oh my, the chocolate cake is perfectly moist and fluffy with an Oreo as the bottom crust, then ~~then!~~ it is topped off with the fluffiest most perfect whipped frosting filled with crushed Oreo cookies.

No lie y’all, this frosting tastes like the most perfect cookies n’ cream ice cream you’ve ever had, well, you know except not cold, which I like to think is a bonus because it won’t melt ~~except in your mouth~~.

I would like to point out that the chocolate cake mix in these cupcakes is devil’s food, but it doesn’t taste like it, which to me is a good thing because I think devil’s food is a bit too dark.

It just tastes like the most perfectly moist chocolate cake and then that frosting…droooll…which I am so glad that I doubled because for reals y’all, it is perfection. Make these soon, everyone will love you who you give these too, or keeping them all to yourself is also perfectly acceptable (trust me the thought had crossed my mind), but I ~~gave in and~~ shared and everyone looooved these.

So go ahead and line your cupcake tins with liners and Oreo cookies…

Ok, cake mix in the bowl…

Add the eggs…

Now the buttermilk…

The sour cream…

and the oil…

Mix, mix, mix…mmm so chocolatey…

Into the liners…

Baking…

Now for the frosting, let’s pretend I took a pic with 10 tablespoons of flour, and 2 cups of milk in it…

This is what it should look like when it is done…

While this is cooling, place your butter in the bowl…

Now the sugar…

Whip until light and fluffy…

Then put your milk/flour mixture in (it must be cool or it won’t whip properly)…

Whip, and whip and whip some more…

Cookies out ready to be crushed…I used my awesome OXO Chopper…

Nice and finely chopped…

Place in your frosting…

Delicious…

Then enjoy!!!

Oreo Cupcakes

2015-03-19 10:38:36

Yields 32

Deliciously moist chocolate cupcakes with an Oreo cookie crust and topped with a whipped Oreo cookie frosting.

Write a review

Save Recipe

THE CUPCAKES

1 Box of Devil's Food Cake Mix.
3 Eggs.
1/2 Cup of Vegetable Oil.
3/4 Cup of Buttermilk.
1 Cup of Sour Cream.
32 Oreo Cookies.

THE FROSTING (This is the recipe doubled)

2 Cups of Milk.
10 Tablespoons of All-Purpose Flour.
4 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Softened.
2 Cups of Granulated Sugar.
5 Oreos, Crushed.

FOR THE CUPCAKES

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Line your cupcake tin with paper liners, and place an Oreo cookie in the bottom of each one and set aside.
With a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment place your cake mix in the bowl, then add the eggs, then the buttermilk, the sour cream and then the oil.
Mix all of these ingredients together until smooth.
Using an ice cream scoop, place your batter into each cupcake tin filling 3/4 of the way full.
Bake your cupcakes for 15-17 minutes or until they bounce back to the touch.
Let cupcakes cool completely.

FOR THE FROSTING

With a medium saucepan on medium/high heat place your milk and flour in it, while stirring constantly heat your mixture until it becomes the texture of thin mashed potatoes and remove from heat.
You can place your milk/flour mixture in the fridge to let it cool completely.
Once your milk/flour mixture has cooled, with a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment place your butter and sugar in the bowl and whip these ingredients very thoroughly until light and fluffy.
Now add your milk/flour mixture and continue to whip the ever lovin' (a technical term) out of these ingredients, this frosting is not done until it looks like whipped cream.
Once the whipped cream texture has been reached add your crushed up Oreos and mix until they are well incorporated.
Now you can pipe or place your frosting on your cupcakes and garnish with more cookies.

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Raspberry Mango Bellinis

March 20, 2015 By Holly

I will admit I am not the type of chick to have crummy weeks, if something is bugging me I usually get over it quickly then move on to being happy. Sitting around dwelling on stuff that makes me mad/sad/irritated is so exhausting and never fixes anything and honestly only makes me want to ~~excessively~~ eat my feelings, which obviously I am not allowed to do ~~anymore~~.

Seriously, last week was major blah, just one thing after another, from mean people ~~like really really mean~~, to having to pay a speeding ticket, and just the everyday stresses in general kept building and made for a super fug week.

Soo, I of course had a bazillion thoughts of eating cupcakes and cheesy dips on my cheat day ~~to cope with the pain~~ but I was waaay more interested in having a cocktail. Please do not think I am saying alcohol solves problems, because I certainly do not, buuut sometimes that’s what the doctor has ordered ~~Dr. Holly of course~~. Because Spring has finally sprung around here ~~bye winter don’t come back~~ I thought something fruity and sparkly would be perfect to help melt away the blah. Y’all it so was, this Bellini is tart but slightly sweet and best of all fizzy and bubbly from the champagne. Sitting on the back porch ~~downing in one shot~~ sipping on this lovely Bellini, and enjoying the warm lovely weather was perfection, I recommend you prescribe yourself this too… Also, Happy Friday I’m sure you have earned this 🙂

Let’s start with the champagne, and go ahead and pop this top off…

Now place your mangos in your blender…I love my Ninja btw…

Now the raspberries…

Now the water…

and the sugar…

and lastly, the champagne…

blend it all up…

Take some of this awesomeness and place it in your glass…

now champagne, and ignore how my hand looks super weird for some reason…

yummies…

So good…

Raspberry Mango Bellini

2015-03-18 09:34:17

A tart and fizzy Bellini filled with raspberry and mango flavors.

Write a review

Save Recipe

Ingredients

1 Cup of Frozen Raspberries.
1 Cup of Frozen Mango.
1 Tablespoon of Sugar.
1/2 Cup of Water.
1 Large Bottle of Champagne.
Blender.

Instructions

In your blender, place your raspberries, mango, sugar, water and 1/2 cup of champagne, blending all of these ingredients together until smooth.
Scoop 2-3 tablespoons (depending on your preference of how fruity you want it-I used 2 Tbsp) of your raspberry mango mixture into your champagne glass, then fill the rest of the glass with champagne, stirring gently with a spoon or straw to fully mix the ingredients.
Garnish with fresh or frozen fruit if you want and serve immediately.

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Cornbread Pudding

March 18, 2015 By Holly

I am such a sucker for bread pudding, the gooey-ness, the sweetness, the texture, I’m pretty sure mmmm/droool is the best way to sum it up. I already have my bread pudding that I’ve made a million times I’m just in love with, and I always feel the need to try different kinds offered at restaurants just in case something sparks my imagination ~~or my taste buds~~.

And though I love my go-to recipe, I wanted to do something completely different from anything I’ve ever seen done with bread pudding (still no raisins, those will never be OK in it-sorry raisin fans I still love you). I gotta say I really think I have found a new, fun and not to mention delicious take on a traditional bread pudding. One word…cornbread, yes, I crumbled up homemade cornbread and made bread pudding out of it. I was initially worried that it would taste way too much like my super awesome cornbread dressing except sweet, but it sooo doesn’t.

There is definitely a noticeably different texture with this dressing, kind of crumbly, but the savory of the cornbread mixed with all of the decadent sweet stuff I added makes this just incredible and hello(!) I poured my butter rum sauce on it ~~drinking it with a straw had crossed my mind~~ and wowza I seriously couldn’t eat enough of it. Y’all so need to make this, and trust me, there is no, ‘just one little bite’ of this stuff because it’s just that good 🙂

First thing, cornbread…here is the cornmeal…

Then the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder…

Then the butter…

Now the buttermilk…

Mix, mix, mix…

Now melt some butter in your pan, because it’s better that way :-)…

Pour all of that melted deliciousness in your batter…

Mix it all up and pour into your cast iron skillet…

Bake, bake…

Once cooled, take out of the skillet and either wrap it up to let it hang out for a while or start on making the pudding…

To make the pudding, tear it up with your hands, and place in your bowl…

Then add your milk and heavy cream…

Then add your sugar…

Then the vanilla…

Now the eggs…

Mix it all up, yes very liquid-ey, but that’s good…

Pour into your pan…

While that is baking, lets make the butter rum sauce….oh yes, soo good, butter in a pan for starters…

Once melted, add your water and sugar…

Boil all of it…

Then remove from heat, and slowly add your spiced rum…

Look how delicious that looks…

Now get in there and eat the heck out of this…

Cornbread Pudding

2015-03-17 09:03:24

A decadent cornbread pudding drizzled in a wonderful butter rum sauce.

Write a review

Save Recipe

THE CORNBREAD

1 Cup of Yellow Cornmeal.
1 Cup of All-Purpose Flour.
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder.
1 Teaspoon of Salt.
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda.
2 Cups of Buttermilk.
2 Large Eggs.
1/2 Cup of Unsalted Butter.
12" Cast Iron Skillet.

THE PUDDING

Day Old Cornbread, Cut Into Pieces.
1/2 Cup (1 Stick) of Unsalted Butter.
5 Cups of Milk.
1/2 Cup of Heavy Whipping Cream.
2 1/2 Cups of Granulated Sugar.
1 Tablespoon of Vanilla.
1 1/2 Teaspoons of Salt.
5 Large Eggs.
9x13" Pan.

THE BUTTER RUM SAUCE

1 Stick of Butter.
1/4 Cup of Water.
1 Cup of Sugar.
1/2 Cup of a Spiced Rum (I Used Captain Morgan).

FOR THE CORNBREAD

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs, then add the dry ingredients and stir together until combined.
Place your stick of butter in your iron skillet and place in the oven to completely melt the butter, which you then pour into your batter and stir to combine.
Now pour your batter into your skillet and bake for 22 minutes.
Let your cornbread cool completely, remove from skillet, then completely wrap in aluminum foil and let it sit overnight.

FOR THE PUDDING

Using your hands or knife, rip the cornbread into pieces and place in a large bowl.
Pour your milk and heavy cream onto your cornbread, then add the sugar, butter, vanilla, eggs, and salt.
Mix these all together until well incorporated.
Pour into a 9x13 pan, cover and let sit for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
Place in your oven and bake for 30-35 minutes uncovered until desired consistency is reached.

FOR THE BUTTER RUM SAUCE

In a small saucepan melt your butter, then stir in the water and sugar.
Boil these ingredients for 5 minutes while stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and slowly stir in the rum.
Serve immediately with your cornbread pudding.

Notes

If you're in a hurry, you do not necessarily have to make the cornbread ahead of time nor let your pudding batter sit, I have just found the flavors are more pronounced when they all have time to sit together for a while.

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Cheesy Garlic Puddings

March 16, 2015 By Holly

Sooo, here’s another one that didn’t quite turn out as originally planned ~~or even close~~. I was totally excited to finally use my popover pan, because I’m always seeing them in restaurants, food magazines, and various places online looking so fluffy and delicious.

I love how versatile they can be, some almost like pancakes topped with fruit and syrup and others super savory, which is definitely what I was going for with these ~~but obviously didn’t quite get.~~ I’m not at all sure what I did or didn’t do to have these turn out like cheesy garlicky Yorkshire puddings, not the fluffy, airy popovers as intended.

Buuuttt what can I say? these didn’t turn out like I wanted (though I swear I followed the recipe exactly) but they are still delicious…like really delicious y’all. They are so gooey, cheesy, garlicky and dense. Maybe you will have these turn out like the perfectly puffy popovers that I had wanted, and if you do please let me know what your secret is 🙂 Either way, whether yours turn out like mine or light and fluffy these will still be super awesome.

Start with the flour and salt…

Add your rosemary and garlic…

Now add your eggs in your bowl…

Go ahead and start whisking the eggs…

While the eggs are whisking, start to heat the milk…

Once bubbles start to appear on the edges, take off the heat…

While still whisking, slowly pour the milk in…

Continue whisking…

Now add your flour mixture while still whisking…

All nicely mixed…

Now into the pan…

Top off with cheese…

Into the oven…

And enjoy!!!

Cheesy Garlic Puddings

2015-03-15 17:52:05

Yields 12

Handheld cheesy garlic puddings, so moist and so savory.

Write a review

Save Recipe

Ingredients

4 Cups of All-Purpose Flour.
1 Tablespoon Plus 2 Teaspoons of Salt.
4 Cups of Milk.
8 Eggs.
8 Ounces of Gruyere Cheese, Grated.
3 Tablespoons of Dried Rosemary Citrus Mix.
2 Teaspoons of Garlic Powder.
Salt and Pepper To Taste.

Instructions

Place your popover pan in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl sift together the flour, dried herbs, garlic and salt and set aside.
In a small saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until small bubbles form around the edges of the pan.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment, whisk your eggs, while whisking constantly slowly add your heated milk.
While still whisking, after you have added all of the milk add your flour mixture.
Remove your heated pan from oven and liberally spray each cup with nonstick cooking spray and place on a baking sheet.
Fill each cup with batter to the top, then top each cup with cheese.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove puddings from the pan and serve immediately.

Notes

To make sure they 'pop' up properly try not to open the oven while they are baking 🙂
You can use any variation of dried herbs you like, one of my favs happens to be a Rosemary Citrus mix that I used in this recipe, but a plain dried Rosemary or dried Thyme would be awesome too.
I freshly grated my Gruyere cheese, but feel free to use and pre-shredded cheese of your choice.

Adapted from Martha Stewart

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Liquored Leprechaun Cupcakes

March 13, 2015 By Holly

Happy (Early) St. Patrick’s Day!! I decided the best way to celebrate St. Patty’s Day ~~other than with copious amounts of liquor and the color green~~ was with cupcakes.

Not just any cupcakes mind you, these are super moist brownie cupcakes with a dash ~~more than a dash~~ of Bailey’s Irish Cream, AND they’re topped off with a Bailey’s Irish Cream frosting that is almost a buttercream and almost a cream cheese, either way it’s awesome.

Even though St. Paddy’s day isn’t a ‘real’ holiday here, aka no work/no school, it’s still so fun… leprechauns, chocolate gold coins, fake red hair and beards. Okay, so the whole getting pinched if you’re not wearing green isn’t fun, but I think that if you were to bring these for folks, no one would be pinching you, mmmkay? If you would like to celebrate this ~~almost~~ holiday, I think these cupcakes are perfect.

Start with the cupcakes, which involves butter…

Then time to add the sugar…

All mixed up…

Then add the eggs…

Mix these all together and time for the chocolate syrup…

Mix, mix, mix, look how lovely and chocolatey…

Now time for the dry ingredients…

Mix, mix, mix…

Then fill your cupcake liners…

Bake…

While these are cooling, time for the frosting… butter time…

Cream your butter, then add your cream cheese…

Mix these together nicely…

Time for your powdered sugar…

And we will pretend I took a picture of the Bailey’s being added and mixed in, but here is the result…

Now you can pipe or spoon on your delicious frosting, enjoy!…

Delicious!

Liquored Leprechaun Cupcakes

2015-03-11 13:13:42

Yields 24

Bailey's infused brownie cupcakes topped with a Bailey's cream cheese frosting.

Write a review

Save Recipe

THE CUPCAKES

1/2 Cup of Unsalted Butter, Softened.
1 Cup of Granulated Sugar.
4 Eggs.
1 Teaspoon Vanilla.
1 1/2 Cups of Hershey's Chocolate Syrup.
1 Cup Plus 1 Tablespoon of All Purpose Flour.
1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Powder.
1/3 Cup of Bailey's Irish Cream.

THE FROSTING

3 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Softened.
1 (8 Ounce) Block of Cream Cheese, Softened.
1/2 Cup of Bailey's Irish Cream.
4 Cups of Powdered Sugar.
1 Tablespoon of Meringue Powder (optional).

FOR THE CUPCAKES

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 24 cupcake tins with paper liners.
With a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment cream your butter until smooth then add your sugar mixing until well combined.
Now add your eggs and vanilla and mix.
Now add your chocolate syrup and mix until well combined.
Next, add your flour and baking powder, and mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
Using a spoon or ice cream scoop, fill your cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full and bake for 18-22 minutes or until your cupcakes spring back to the touch.
Let your cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

FOR THE FROSTING

In a bowl place your butter, and mix until smooth.
Now add your cream cheese and mix until well combined with the butter.
Add your Bailey's Irish Cream and mix until well combined.
Now add your powdered sugar 1 cup at a time so powdered sugar doesn't go everywhere, then add the meringue powder if you desire.
Then pipe or spoon your frosting onto your cupcakes, and garnish with sprinkles or something leprechaun-ey if you like.

Notes

I used a Wilton 16" disposable piping bag with a 1M Wilton open star tip, starting on the edges of the cupcakes working in a circular motion.

By Holly

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Banoffee Pie

March 11, 2015 By Holly

OMG y’all, this pie…as I am sitting here writing this, I am salivating looking at the pictures of this pie, and thankful I saved some in the freezer for my next cheat day. It is just that good.

I had never had banoffee pie before eating this, I know, weird, but I figured it would be awesome because it is filled with all things I love; fresh whipped cream, gooey toffee, bananas and a vanilla wafer crust. I was not at aaalll disappointed, these ingredients come together to create the most luscious, creamy, dreamy pie ever, seriously.

This tastes like the most incredible banana pudding ~~on steroids~~ you’ve ever had. Yes, the toffee is seriously gooey, like run all over the place gooey, but trust me you won’t care because it is beyond yummy.

Speaking of the gooey toffee, I may or may not have cooked the condensed milk/sugar/butter mixture long enough, because I thought it would have been more solid, but honestly I don’t really know, and being even more honest I don’t care because it is divine. This pie is definitely going on my list of favorite things to eat, for reals. Y’all make this… like… today! 🙂

Let’s make a crust shall we? Start with vanilla wafers…

Get them super fine ~~duper duper fine, hehe~~…

Place crumbs and sugar into a bowl…

Then add the melted butter…

Mix until well incorporated…

Place into your 8″ springform pan…

Bake it up until it’s nice and golden…

While the crust is cooling, to make the toffee filling, start with butter and sugar…

Get these ingredients all bubbly…

Then add your sweetened condensed milk and let it boil for several minutes…

and this is what it looked like right before I took it off the heat…

Then I poured it onto my crust…

After your pie has completely cooled for several hours in the fridge, make the whipped cream topping…start by slicing your bananas and set aside…

In a bowl place your heavy whipping cream…

Whip the heck out of it with a whisk attachment until stiff peaks form, then add your bananas…

Once you’ve completely folded the bananas into your whipped cream, place it onto your toffee filling…

Spread it all out evenly like so…

Then you can garnish with bananas and/or chocolate or maybe even toffee bits, mmm, and enjoy!

Banoffee Pie

2015-03-09 14:30:29

A delicious pie filled with gooey toffee, freshly whipped cream with bananas and a vanilla wafer crust.

Write a review

Save Recipe

THE CRUST

1 1/2 Cups of Vanilla Wafer Crumbs.
1/2 Cup of Unsalted Butter, Melted.
3 Tablespoons of Sugar.
8" Springform Pan.

THE TOFFEE FILLING

1/2 Cup of Unsalted Butter, Melted.
1/2 Cup Firmly packed Brown Sugar.
2 Teaspoons of Vanilla Extract.
1 (14 Ounce) Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk.

THE WHIPPED CREAM & BANANA TOPPING

2 Cups of Heavy Whipping Cream.
3 Tablespoons of Granulated Sugar.
2 Teaspoons of Vanilla Extract.
4 Ripe Bananas, Sliced.

FOR THE CRUST

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Using a food processor, blend your vanilla wafers until they are fine crumbs.
In a bowl, mix together your crumbs, melted butter and sugar.
Press your crumb/butter mixture into the bottom and slightly up the sides of your 8 inch springform pan.
Bake your crust for 10-12 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let it cool completely.

FOR THE TOFFEE FILLING

In a small saucepan combine the melted butter, brown sugar and vanilla extract.
Over medium heat bring to a slow boil until bubbly, then add the sweetened condensed milk.
Once you've added the condensed milk bring back to a slow boil and while stirring continuously for another 3 minutes until it starts to darken slightly.
Remove from the heat and pour into your crust.
Cover and chill for at least 2 hours in the fridge until it is completely cool.

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM & BANANA TOPPING

Once your crust is completely cooled, slice up your bananas and set aside.
With a handheld or standmixer with whisk attachment add the whipping cream, sugar and vanilla to the bowl.
Whip your whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
Fold your sliced bananas into the whipped cream until completely mixed together and spread your banana cream topping over the toffee filling.
Chill for at least another hour then garnish with bananas and/or chocolate shavings.

Notes

As you see in my pictures, the toffee filling is very gooey and messy---but still super duper delicious, I'm not sure if it's due to not cooking the condensed milk mixture long enough or if that is just the texture it is supposed to be, but either way it was sooo insanely good.

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/