Whipped Eggnog Frosting

Today . . . . . because Thanksgiving is exactly one week away and because I just cut 10 inches off my hair and I might start crying and because we could all use a sweet pick me up. . . . I am posting this delicious creation for you!   

I was sitting here the other day flipping through some frosting recipes that I had saved.  I was looking at  this recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe and had an AMAZING idea pop in my head.  Why not use eggnog instead of milk and make an eggnog frosting?????  I LOVE eggnog and could drink carton after carton if I would let myself.  I have seen eggnog frosting recipes before, but they just make a regular butter and powdered sugar frosting and then add a tablespoon or two of eggnog.  That was not going to cut it for me - I wanted serious eggnog flavor!  So, I started my experiment with this frosting.  

It turned out SO GOOD!  It is light and fluffy like whipped cream and has a really good eggnog flavor.  If you like eggnog, there is no way that you wouldn't love this frosting.  I spread this over some soft sugar cookies and I haven't been able to stop eating them.  Click here for the sugar cookie recipe!

Whipped Eggnog Frosting

original recipe from: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

eggnog version from: Jenn@eatcakefordinner

(Printable Recipe)

3/4 c. granulated sugar

1/4 c. all-purpose flour

3 Tbl. cornstarch

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. store-bought eggnog

2 tsp. vanilla extract

24 Tbl. (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

a few shakes of nutmeg, to taste

In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt.  Slowly whisk in the eggnog until the mixture is smooth.  Place a fine-mesh strainer over a medium saucepan and pour the eggnog mixture through the strainer into the saucepan.  Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture boils and is thick enough that it starts to become difficult to easily whisk.  This could take anywhere between 5-10 minutes, depending on your stove, heat, etc.  It should bubble quite a bit at the end (be careful of the splatters) and thicken considerably.  

Transfer the mixture to a clean bowl and cool to room temperature – this is extremely important!  If it is even slightly warm, the frosting won’t beat up properly.  I refrigerated my initial mixture overnight.  If you do this, make sure to pull it out in time to let it warm back up to room temperature.  If you try to proceed with the rest of the recipe and the mixture is too cold, the butter won’t absorb into the frosting like it should.  Once the frosting is completely cooled to room temperature (it should have no hint of warmth at all!), beat the mixture with the vanilla on low speed until it is well combined, about 30 seconds (a stand mixer will work best for this). Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat the frosting until all the butter has been incorporated fully, about 2 minutes. Add a few shakes of nutmeg.  Taste and add more if desired.  Increase the speed to medium-high and let the mixer work it’s magic. Beat the frosting for five minutes, until it is light and fluffy. Let the frosting sit at room temperature until it is a bit more stiff, about 1 hour.  Yield: about 4 cups (enough for a two-layer 9-inch cake) 

Jenn's Notes:  I seriously loved this frosting.  I loved the flavor and the texture.  It is light like whipped cream, yet more sturdy (it holds its shape very well) and it is not too sweet.  I can't wait to try a plain vanilla version and a chocolate version.  This might become my new go-to frosting!  I cooked mine until it looked like a thick pudding and let it cool overnight in the fridge.  The next day, I got it out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature before whipping.  Something magic happens when you whip it.  It turns from a small bowl of pudding to a big bowl of whipped yumminess!  It still tastes amazing several days later!  

Famous Dave's Cornbread Muffins Copycat Recipe

This was probably the fifth copycat recipe I had tried for Famous Dave's amazing Cornbread Muffins.  One had used a cake mix, one used stone-ground cornmeal and one even used Mayonnaise.  None came even close to the real deal, but I love the real muffins so much, that even after so many failed attempts, I was still willing to try another.  I even had such high hopes for this recipe that I actually went to dinner at Famous Daves and ordered an extra half dozen of the muffins to take home, so I could compare these side by side.  

Well, my first attempt at this recipe turned out dry, but the flavor was so close that I tried again.  My 2nd attempt, I made a few minor adjustments and ended up with a very very yummy and moist muffin that is probably the closest you could come to the real thing!  The biggest difference was that the real muffins domed at the top and mine were more flat, but everything else was really really close!

Above is a real Famous Dave's muffin straight from the restaurant - So Good!

This was my first attempt at this recipe.  You can just tell it isn't going to be moist.

This was my 2nd attempt with a few minor changes.  It looks so much better (and tasted so much better)!

Famous Dave's Corn Muffins Copycat

(Printable Recipe)

1 3/4 c. cornmeal

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

2 eggs

3/4 c. granulated sugar

1/4 c. shortening

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 c. whole milk

1/4 c. buttermilk

1/3 c. vegetable oil

4 Tbl. honey

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grind the cornmeal at high speed in a food processor for 5 minutes or until some of it has become flour.  Pour ground cornmeal into a large bowl with the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda and whisk together.  In a separate bowl, cream together the eggs, sugar, shortening and vanilla using an electric mixer.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and add the remaining ingredients.  Stir together with a rubber spatula until smooth.  Line a muffin pan with paper liners.  Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full with batter and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden.  Remove from oven and take a cold stick of butter and rub over the top of the rolls until each is coated.  Makes 16 muffins.  Serve plain or with cinnamon honey butter.  

Jenn's Notes: I typed the recipe above with the adjustments that I made the 2nd time.  I used less flour than Todd's original recipe and I added more honey.  I also used whole milk the 2nd time (the 1st time I used 1%) and brushed butter over the top when they were done baking.  The batter should be the consistency of any other cornbread recipe.  Mine were done at 18 minutes.  I am eating one of these while I sit here and type this and they really are so good! It is even the 3rd day and they are still moist!  I am going to try these again without grinding the cornmeal to see if it makes a difference and I will update this when I do.   

Very slightly adapted from: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3

Cinnamon Honey Butter

Oh My Gosh! This is seriously the BEST Cinnamon Honey Butter that I have EVER had!  It's light and smooth and creamy and perfectly balanced with honey!  I tried it on cornbread muffins and I tried it on homemade rolls and I even licked some off my finger when I accidentally stuck my hand in the jar?  If the only way you have ever had honey butter is by stirring together some honey and butter then you have been wasting those calories! Believe me - you need to whip it with the mixer and add some powdered sugar and cinnamon! Then, every single calorie you eat will be so worth it!  Can you tell that I really LOVE this stuff?  I will be posting the yummy recipe for these famous cornbread muffins later this week!

Cinnamon Honey Butter

From: Jenn@eatcakefordinner

(Printable Recipe)

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 c. powdered sugar

1/4 c. honey

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Whip the room temperature butter with whisk attachment for 30 seconds.  Add powdered sugar, honey and cinnamon and beat until completely combined and very smooth.  Scrape down sides of bowl and turn up speed and whip for a minute or two or until really light and fluffy.  Yield: about 3/4 cup.  

Jenn's Notes: I don't actually measure the powdered sugar and honey, but I would say that I add right around 1/4 cup of each, maybe slightly more.  Start with 1/4 cup, taste and add more if needed.  You will love this stuff!

Red Velvet Cookies with a Cream Cheese Swirl and White Chocolate Chips

Can I just say - Yum!

These cookies turned out really good! They are soft and chewy and taste like a brownie with a slight red velvet flavor and I LOVE the addition of the white chocolate chips!  These would make a great addition to your Christmas treat list this year!  There is something about that pretty red color that makes you happy.  

Red Velvet Cookies with a Cream Cheese Swirl and White Chocolate Chips

slightly adapted from:  Amy Bites

(Printable Recipe)

1/2 c. unsalted butter, soft

1/3 c. + 2 Tbl. sugar

1/3 c. + 2 Tbl. light brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbl. liquid red food coloring

4 Tbl. buttermilk

1 1/2 c. + 1 Tbl. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 c. cocoa powder

1/2 c. white chocolate chips

2-3 oz. cream cheese, softened

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cream together butter, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.  Add the red food coloring and mix to combine very well.  Add buttermilk and mix to combine.  Combine the flour, soda, salt and cocoa powder and slowly incorporate into wet ingredients.  Mix in the white chocolate chips.  Stop mixer and drop chunks of cream cheese all over the top of the dough.  Turn on mixer and mix for only a second or two, just to barely swirl in the cream cheese.  Or you could stir it by hand.  Using a small ice cream scoop, drop dough onto lightly greased baking sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Yield 24-30 cookies.

Jenn's Notes: I took Amy's recipe and adjusted it to my own taste.  The above recipe is exactly what I did.  These turned out so good and I will be making them again!  After I had dropped the dough onto the cookie sheet, I took very small amounts of some extra cream cheese and pressed into the top/sides of the cookies.  I did this because, I could barely see the swirl after mixing and I wanted it to stand out.  Honestly, I think these would be just as amazing without any cream cheese, because I loved the white chocolate chips so much! I got 28 cookies out of a full batch (that was after sneaking a few tastes of the dough)! 

Everything Waffles - Healthier

These waffles sounded interesting?  They called for a lot of ingredients that I had never had in a waffle before, but hey, I am a huge waffle lover.  So, I figured why not give a healthier version a try?  It turns out, they are pretty good - I liked them! Now, I wouldn't say they are my favorite, but for a healthy waffle, they are definitely good.  They are a little more heavy than your regular waffle.  I added up the grams of protein in each ingredient as I went.  Guess the total grams of protein in this full batch - 111 grams (according the the brands that I used)! So, if you get 4 servings that is around 27-28 grams of protein per serving.  Not bad - for a waffle!  Drink a glass of milk on the side and that will add another 8 grams per cup!

Everything Waffles 

adapted from: Big Book of Home Cooking

(Printable Recipe)

2 c. biscuit baking mix

1 1/2 c. quick cooking oats, uncooked

1/4 c. wheat germ

1/2 c. chopped pecans or walnuts

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 c. peanut butter

1/2 c. vanilla yogurt

3 1/2 c. low-fat milk, divided

1 c. blueberries (I didn't add)

Combine baking mix, oats, wheat germ and nuts in a large bowl; set aside.  In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, peanut butter, yogurt and 3 cups of milk.  Add to dry ingredients and stir.  Add remaining milk as needed to get the consistency of applesauce.  Fold in berries.  Pour by 1/2 cupfuls onto a preheated waffle iron that has been sprayed with non-stick vegetable spray.  Bake until crisp.  Serve with maple syrup or fruit topping.  Serves 4-6

Jenn's Notes: I made this recipe as written, except for the blueberries.  I liked these waffles and they were good for a healthier waffle.    

Paula Deen's Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

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I had a half of a bag of a wild rice blend that was about to expire and there was no way I was going to throw it away.  I got this Paula Deen Cookbook a month or so ago and hadn't tried anything out of it yet, but I found this casserole and it was just what I had in mind.  Other than the fact that wild rice takes what seems live forever to cook, this casserole was easy.  It had that earthy flavor from the wild rice, a creaminess from the sauce and a crunch from the cornbread stuffing topping.  Overall, we liked it!

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

adapted from: Paula Deen    

(Printable Recipe)

1 (6 oz.) pkg. long-grain and

     wild rice, cooked according to directions

4 c. diced, cooked chicken breast

2 (10 3/4 oz.) cans cream of chicken soup

1 c. mayonnaise

2 tsp. curry powder or to taste

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cornbread dressing mix

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

Put the cooked rice in a greased 2-quart casserole dish.  Layer the chicken on top of the rice.  Mix the soup, mayonnaise and curry powder and pour this over the chicken.  Sprinkle the dry dressing mix over the casserole and dot with butter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly.  Serves: 8

Jenn's Notes: I cut this recipe in half.  I used store bought-rotisserie chicken, sour cream instead of mayonnaise and I used Italian seasoning instead of curry powder.  I know that is not even close to the same thing, but I have never had curry powder and had no idea if I would like it or not.  I also added a little milk to the sauce to thin in out slightly.  The stuffing on top is not like the soft stuffing you are used to, it ends up more crunchy than soft.  I thought it might be weird to have rice and stuffing in the same dish, but it works.     

Chili's White Chocolate Molten Cake

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I am obsessed with Todd Wilbur!  He is the genius behind so many yummy clone recipes!  I got his new cookbook! It is a really really tempting one! One that I couldn't resist!  So many yummy (top secret) recipes that I can't wait to try.  This one immediately caught my attention.  I discovered chocolate molten lava cake last year and I LOVE it!  It never crossed my mind to try a white chocolate version? I LOVE white chocolate!  Remember this delicious and healthy banana ice cream?  Doesn't white chocolate and banana sound like a great combination?  It most definitely was! Todd has a very unique way of making molten lava cake, a way that I have never tried before?  This is how you do it:  

1.  Bake your cake batter in a jumbo-size muffin tin (I think regular size would work fine too for smaller portions)

2.  Slice off the top, so you have a flat surface

3.  Turn cupcake upside down and it should lay flat

4.  Take a paring knife and cut a chunk out of the center

5.  Combine white chocolate chips and heavy whipping cream

6.  Melt in the microwave

7.  Fill the hollowed out cupcake with the yummy white chocolate filling

8.  Slice off the top of the cut out chunk

9.  Place the top part back onto the cupcake

10.  You should have a flat top again.  Serve with ice cream and more white chocolate drizzed over the top. 

Chili's White Chocolate Molten Cake

adapted from: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3

(Printable Recipe)

1 box Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Butter

       Recipe Golden Cake Mix

2/3 c. water

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, softened

3 eggs

18 oz. (3 cups) white chocolate chips

1/4 c. plus 2 tsp. heavy whipping cream

1 (16 oz.) box frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed

8 scoops vanilla ice cream

*This recipe looks very long, but it is just detailed, because this is so easy!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Make the cake batter following the directions on the box and pour 1/2 cup of batter into the greased cups of a large (Texas-size) muffin pan.  If your pan has six cups, bake the cakes in two batches of 4 cakes each.  Bake for 25-30 minutes (mine were plenty done at 25 min.) or until a toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean.  Let cool for 15 minutes, then turn all of the cakes out of the pan.  

While the cakes cool, measure 9 oz. or 1 1/2 cups of white chocolate chips into a microwave-safe dish.  Add the heavy cream and microwave for 30 seconds.  Stir; then microwave for 30 seconds more.  Let this cool for 15-20 minutes to thicken.  The cakes will be served upside down, so you may have to slice a bit of the dome top off each cake to help it lay flat when inverted.  A serrated knife works best for this.  After you've flipped over all of the cooled cakes, use a sharp paring knife to cut out a 1 1/2-inch diameter cylindrical chunk in the center of the bottom (now the top) of each cake.  The hole should be about 1 1/2-inches deep.  Remove chunk and slice off the top.  Spoon 2-3 Tablespoons of the white chocolate filling into each of the holes.  Place the top back over the filled cupcake, then store the cakes in a sealed container in the refrigerator. 

Make the strawberry sauce by pureeing the strawberries with syrup in a blender until smooth.  When you're ready to serve, pour the remaining 9 oz. (1 1/2 cups) of white chocolate chips into a microwave-safe dish and microwave for 30 seconds, then stir and microwave for 30 seconds more.  Heat up each cake in the microwave for 30 seconds or until you see the filling bubble.  Drizzle the strawberry sauce onto each serving plate.  Place a warm cake on the strawberry sauce, then place a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the top of the cake.  Drizzle approximately 1 1/2 Tablespoons of melted white chocolate over the ice cream and serve right away with a spoon.  Repeat for each dessert.  Makes 8 desserts.  

Jenn's Notes:  Right when I saw this recipe, I had to make it, therefore I made due with what I had in my pantry.  Instead of using the recommended cake mix, I used a French Vanilla one.  It turned out extremely light and fluffy and because of that, it absorbed a lot of the molten filling.  I would like to try again with the right cake mix and see how it turns out.  Next time, I would only microwave the hollowed-out cake by itself, hurry and add the molten filling, top with ice cream and serve.  That way, it won't have much time to absorb the filling.  I served with this banana ice cream, drizzled with white chocolate and garnished with coconut!  It was yummy, but not very oozy?  I love this idea though!