You are browsing the Blog for cream cheese.

Carrot Cream Cheese Muffins

September 18, 2012 in breakfast

Y’all remember this time last year when I excitedly bought a can of pumpkin only to realize it had expired 2 years before?

I feel like I never really got over that. Don’t get me wrong, I was definitely beating down Starbucks’ door the day the PSLs were released but I just haven’t been excited to bake with pumpkin this year. But I’m still craving those fall flavors, you know?

So I was catching up on my DVR’d shows this past weekend and saw the Pioneer Woman making a carrot cake and, ding ding ding, immediately knew how to get my fall flavor fix! Carrot cake muffins! With sweetened cream cheese in the center!

You can’t go wrong with a muffin like this. The only way these could be better is if they had a ton of pecans in them! These were very moist and I didn’t even have to adjust them for the altitude! The carrots aren’t super obvious – you could probably get away with adding more than a cup. And like I said, pecans would be an excellent addition! And raisins! Mmm!

One year ago:  Cheddar Jalapeno Beer Muffins
Two years ago:  Lemon Bars with Strawberry Brulee

Print
Carrot Cream Cheese Muffins

about 16 muffins

Ingredients

For the filling:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese (low-fat is fine)
1/4 cup sugar
dash of vanilla
For the muffins:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup grated carrots, lightly packed; about 2 large carrots

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line or grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
  2. To make the filling, microwave the cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl for about 40 seconds on low. Stir in sugar an vanilla. Set aside.
  3. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Set aside.
  4. In the bowl of a mixer, beat together the sugar, brown sugar, eggs, water, and vegetable oil until light. Slowly add in the dry ingredients and beat until just moistened. Add carrots and beat just a couple seconds until the carrots are dispersed.
  5. Put about 2 tablespoons of batter into each muffin cup. Add a heaping tablespoon into the center of each cup. Top with another couple tablespoons of batter, making sure the cream cheese is completely covered.
  6. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center (of the actual muffin, not cream cheese) comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
  7. Repeat with remaining batter (or use a second muffin tin if you have it.)
http://fakeginger.com/2012/09/18/carrot-cream-cheese-muffins/

Submit to StumbleUpon

Tags: , , ,
3 Comments »

Layered Pizza Dip

August 31, 2012 in appetizer

This weekend is the best weekend of the year. No, my husband is not coming home. More important y’all.

College football, obviously.

It’s kind of sad since my husband isn’t home and all but lucky for him, his absence has made me more sympathetic to the Alabama cause. See, he is an Alabama fan and I am an LSU fan and since those 2 are typically the best teams, college football discussions get pretty heated. Last year he was in the field during the Alabama/LSU game so I did this to the baby and sent him pictures:

Amazingly, we are still married.

Like I said though, somehow I’m becoming more of an Alabama fan without him here to harass. Last week I impulse bought a houndstooth scarf and didn’t even realize what I’d done until I was out in the parking lot. Something is obviously very wrong with me and I hope to get over whatever sickness this is before he comes home.

But anyway, this is also my favorite time of year because I get to make (and blog!) a ton of fun appetizers! So get excited! Lots of football food coming your way in the coming months!

This is a real simple appetizer that is always a crowd-pleaser. It’s a dip that’s layered with onion and chive cream cheese, pizza sauce, pepperoni, and cheese. You can, of course, add whatever you like – peppers, mushrooms, Parmesan, sausage, pretty much anything goes!

One last thing: y’all remember when I did that leftover makeover? Well BlogHer has a fabulous Pinterest board filled with leftover makeovers (including mine!) that you should definitely check out. Lots of good things happening over there! Go find dinner inspiration!

One year ago: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Two years ago: Parmesan Chicken Nuggets

Print
Layered Pizza Dip

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) container cream cheese with chives and onions
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup small pepperoni (or big ones, diced)
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. In an ungreased 9-inch pie plate or similar dish, layer all ingredients in order listed.
  3. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and dip is bubbly.
  4. Serve hot with crackers, bagel chips, or tiny toast pieces!
http://fakeginger.com/2012/08/31/layered-pizza-dip/

 

Submit to StumbleUpon

Tags: , , , ,
14 Comments »

Zucchini Pecan Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

July 6, 2012 in cake


My husband’s birthday was a few weeks ago and I had planned to make his favorite carrot cake in jars to ship over to him but I just couldn’t get my *ahem* together in time. I’ve been thinking about carrot cake since then.

Well this week I bought a zucchini to make this and then… well, I just can’t manage to get a real dinner cooked these days. No big though, right? Nine months of sandwiches and cereal won’t kill the kids. But anyway, I had that zucchini that needed to get used and realized I could make a spicy, carrot cake-like cake with it. Mmmhmm.

What’s not to love about this cake? It’s slightly spicy but not so much that it screams WINTER! at you so it’s perfect for all that zucchini that you have growing in your summer garden. And by the way, if you have anything growing in your summer garden, I am insanely jealous. I bought a basil plant a few weeks back – next day it was dead.

One year ago: Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Two years ago: Roasted Garlic and White Cheddar Pasta

Print
Zucchini Pecan Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

For the cake:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1½ cups all purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¾ cup vegetable or canola oil
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups grated zucchini (about 8 ounces)
¾ cup chopped pecans
For the frosting:
½ 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

    To make the cake:
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper. Coat parchment paper and sides of pan with nonstick spray.
  2. Sift together flour, baking powder, coarse salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in medium bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in large bowl; fold in flour mixture, then grated zucchini and pecans. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
  4. Bake cake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan on wire rack, about 1 hour. Cut around sides of pan to loosen. Turn cake out onto platter; peel off parchment paper and flip rightside up.
    5. To make frosting:
  5. Beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Spread over cooled cake. Cut cake into wedges and serve.
http://fakeginger.com/2012/07/06/zucchini-pecan-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting/

Submit to StumbleUpon

Tags: , , ,
10 Comments »

Switch to our mobile site