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Dec 01

Easy Marshmallow Meringue Frosting

posted by Dorothy Kern

Marshmallow Meringue Frosting – this easy recipe tastes like a melted fluffy marshmallow! It's the perfect frosting recipe for cupcakes or to dress up pies, cookies, or brownies!

Okay, who else is completely overwhelmed that it's December? Everything was all fine and dandy until Thanksgiving; life was just going along with a soft rock soundtrack. Then, somewhere over the 4 day weekend my soundtrack changed to dance club hard rock and I can't seem to change it back. Schedules looming, family looming, parties, planning, shopping, baking, class visits….. *head exploding*

This time of year is supposed to be my favorite and somehow every year I make it so much more complicated. There are 3 weeks left and I'm going to *try* to enjoy every minute and take shortcuts where I can. One easy shortcut? Starting with homemade treats and dressing them up a little bit, kind of like Sandra Lee on Semi-Homemade Cooking. Remember that show? I never see it on anymore but I LOVED it. Along with 30 Minute Meals and Dinner at Tiffani's it was (and still is) one of the only "real" cooking shows I like. (I love the competition shows, Chopped, Food Network Star, and all the Holiday Baking Championships, but I'm not huge into just watching people cook. Like…I can just install a mirror in my kitchen if I wanted to do that.)

I loved how Sandra Lee would take packaged ingredients like cookies or cakes from the store and just dress them up to look like she slaved all day. Then she'd swap out her kitchen valance and whip up a themed cocktail and call it a party. That's my kind of girl, if there ever was one. This holiday season I'm going to dress to impress with recipes that look hard but aren't, and I'm going to semi-homemade the heck out of all of my desserts.

First up, this Easy Marshmallow Meringue Frosting. Don't be scared (or disgusted by) the word "meringue". This is a really easy recipe and it's a gorgeous frosting for cupcakes, cookies, cake, or pie. Plus, it looks fancy because it's all browned, and calling it meringue makes it sound important.

First of all, this is not your Nana's Lemon Meringue Pie meringue recipe. I have never liked that kind of meringue and always said I hated all things with that name because that was what my frame of reference was. THIS meringue is different because it tastes like a melted gooey marshmallow.

What's the difference? Well, the meringue of pies past is baked after beating the egg whites. Typically, that recipe involves whipping egg whites and sugar until fluffy, then you layer it on a pie and bake it until browned. The results is a little frothy, a little thick, and (for me) quite eggy. No bueno!

THIS meringue recipe involves cooking the egg whites (while whisking with sugar) to a safe temperature (140°F) then beating them until fluffy while they're hot. Cooking the egg whites over a double boiler kills any yucky bugs (no salmonella in my pies!) and then beating it hot and sugary makes it fluffy and silky and very much like a marshmallow. It's kind of like a 7 minute frosting, if you've ever heard of that, except that you burn the top using a kitchen torch (or under the broiler). Check out the video below on how I make this frosting. It's easy but sometimes a visual is best!

This recipe makes enough for a 9″ pie, a dozen cupcakes, a single layer cake, or plenty of mini tarts or brownie bites. Whip up a batch and turn something store bought into something fabulous in a fraction of the time.

Something to think about using with this frosting? Walkers Mince Pies, from our favorite shortbread cookie company. If I'm being 100% honest, I'd never had a mince pie before Walkers sent me some. I always thought a mince pie was something made with blackbird or crow (I read too much Laura Ingalls Wilder when I was a kid) so I had no idea that they're actually a sweet treat, not savory. The citrus and raising filling is baked into Walkers famous shortbread crusts, so you know they have to be good.

Serving these pies alone would be fine, but serving them with a nice dollop of meringue frosting all burnt and pretty? Even better!

What will you use this frosting with? I like eating it off a spoon. 🙂

[embedded content]

Easy Marshmallow Meringue Frosting

Yield: Frosting for a 1 layer cake

Marshmallow Meringue Frosting - this easy recipe tastes like a melted fluffy marshmallow! It's the perfect frosting recipe for cupcakes or to dress up pies, cookies, or brownies!

Ingredients:

• 4 large egg whites
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Fill a saucepan with about 2-3 inches of water. Bring to a boil. Find a bowl that will fit on top of the pan without touching the water. (I like to use a glass bowl over a 2 Qt. saucepan.)
2. Whisk the egg whites and the sugar in the bowl. Place it on top of the pan that's over the boiling water (over medium-high heat). Whisk constantly for about 5-7 minutes, until the mixture reaches about 140°F. You can use a candy thermometer if you have one, or even a (clean) meat thermometer to measure the temperature.
3. Immediately transfer the mixture to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat at high speed for until stiff peaks form, about five minutes depending on your mixer. Your meringue is now ready! (You can also use a hand mixer but it will take a lot longer.)
4. You can use this frosting for cupcakes, cakes, or even to frost Walker's Mince Tarts. Frost as desired then use a kitchen blow torch to brown the edges. If you don't have a blow torch, place the frosted items under the broiler just for a few minutes, rotating as needed, until toasted.

© Crazy for Crust. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe.

Lemon Meringue Pie Bars

Lemon Meringue Pie Fudge

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Source: Crazy for Crust

This 30 minute creamy one pot turkey and rice is filled with flavour and a fantastic way to use up your leftover turkey!  Fast, easy, delicious.

Do you sometimes get sick of leftovers before you've managed to use up all that leftover turkey after a holiday meal?

I'll freely admit that I don't, really.  I could easily just have turkey dinner every night until the leftovers are gone.  That's probably just laziness on my part though – heating up some leftovers is infinitely easier then cooking a meal, even when you love to cook.

When you make a giant turkey, as I invariably do (I figure if I'm going to make a turkey, I might as well buy the biggest one I can find!), there's usually enough leftovers to last  for more meals then you really want to eat.  So I love to find different ways of using up those turkey leftovers.

This creamy one pot turkey and rice is a perfect way to use them up.  It's also great with chicken, so it's become the meal that I think of whenever I have some cooked chicken or turkey sitting in the fridge begging to be used in a quick and easy meal.

30 minutes.  One pot.  With ingredients that you likely have already.  That's a winning combination in my books.

Plus the whole family will love it!  I've made this no less then 5 times in the last month, trying to get the recipe perfect, and my family is still happy when they hear that this is for supper.  They eat it happily and take the leftovers for lunch.  It's perfect.

So this creamy one pot turkey and rice was the perfect choice for this month's 30 Minute Thursday.  If you're new around here, on the first Thursday of the month myself and some of my blogging friends each share a recipe that can be made in 30 minutes or less.  I love these lists as it's a great place to look for meal time inspiration when I realize at 5pm that I don't know what to make for supper.

I mean, I never do that.  That's crazy.  I totally menu plan.  Or, um, I should.

But, until I manage that, it's a good thing I've got these 30 Minute Thursday lists to get me through the week without resorting to sandwiches half the time!  The links are below the recipe so be sure to check them out!

Creamy One Pot Turkey and Rice

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Bake.Eat.Repeat.

Yield: serves 4-6

This 30 minute creamy one pot turkey and rice is filled with flavour and a fantastic way to use up your leftover turkey! Fast, easy, delicious.

5 minPrep Time

25 minCook Time

30 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup diced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon paprika

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup milk (I used 2%)

2 cups cooked turkey, chopped (or chicken)

1 cup rice

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1 cup frozen peas

Directions

1. In a large skillet with a lid, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and mushrooms and cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes or until the onion is softened. Add the flour, salt, pepper, thyme and paprika and continue to cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Slowly stir in the milk and chicken broth.
2. Add the turkey and the rice and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir, reduce the heat to low, and cover with a lid. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Stir in the corn and peas and heat through.

Notes

For this recipe I used long grain white rice. If you're using a different type of rice, you may need to adjust the amount of liquid or the cooking time. For the rice I use, I needed 2 cups of liquid for 1 cup of rice and 20 minutes of cooking time. If the rice you are using is different (according to the package directions), adjust the amount of chicken broth and cooking time accordingly.

6.6.15

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Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup from Pumpkin 'N Spice

Jamaican Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner from Sweet Peas & Saffron

Gnocchi and Winter Vegetables with Sage Cream Sauce from Floating Kitchen

Easy Falafel Soup with Tamari Croutons & Tahini from She Likes Food

Creamy Pesto Gnocchi with White Beans and Sausage from My Sequined Life

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Nov 29

Santa Munch Popcorn Snack Mix {with printable}

posted by Dorothy Kern

Santa Munch Popcorn Snack Mix – an easy 5 ingredient popcorn mix that is the perfect Christmas treat! Popcorn, pretzels, and nuts are coated with white chocolate and mixed with M&Ms making the perfect sweet treat for parties or packaged for goody bags with the printable tags!

I know I'm supposed to talk about popcorn in this post, and about Christmas, and decorating for the holidays and parties and this Santa Munch, which is the ULTIMATE popcorn snack mix, but first I need to get this off my chest:

OMG did you watch The Gilmore Girls?????????

Okay, so I know it's only been a few days. No spoilers in this post. I'll talk at length another day about what happened, the final four words, and my never-ending feels about those three gut-wrenching scenes in Fall (and how I rewatch them every day).

I'm just so….torn up by it being over. Because really, it's NOT over. In my mind I've pictured the next 10 years and I want it on screen, darn it. Also, I started off the year fully #TeamJess and ended the last episode squarely in the #TeamLogan camp.

And that's all I'm going to say…for now.

What did you do over the holiday weekend? We ate lots of stuffing, lots of pie, I spent lots of money shopping (I am scared to look at my credit card statement), we decorated for Christmas…and I spent 7 hours on Saturday binging The Gilmore Girls. Pretty much, it was an amazing week. (Except that now that Gilmore Girls is over I have nothing to look forward too. And I'm now re-reading Twilight again and it's not satisfying me.)

One of the things I love to binge eat while binging TV is popcorn. I'm pretty sure Santa loves popcorn too, especially when it's coated in white chocolate, mixed with pretzels, nuts, and M&Ms, and even more so when you package it in cute little bags.

This munch is a little reminiscent of my Elf Munch recipe which at some point I need to remake and reshoot and repost. Every year I see that post pop up in my analytics and cringe a little, hoping that the reader clicks "home" after printing so they know I'm better now than I was then.

Santa Munch is an EASY popcorn snack mix. You can put anything you want in there, but I love adding pretzels and almonds and M&Ms and coating it all with white chocolate. It's pretty and festive and tastes darn good. Kids love it too; Jordan begged me to eat it for breakfast this morning. I love serving it in a big bowl at holiday parties, but I think I love packaging it more. It makes the perfect goody bag treat for class parties or a kids Christmas party.

Speaking of which…I need to start planning our annual kids Christmas party. I was all ahead of things before Thanksgiving and have just realized now that Christmas break is in 3 weeks. Where does the time go?

I'll probably remake this Santa Munch for the party, and I'll package it in little bags with those cute little tags. You can download and print them here.

I started this recipe with Gaslamp popcorn. Maybe you remember them? They're the star of my Pumpkin Spice Latte Popcorn when I was on T.V. for the first and only time. I was so excited they wanted to work with me again this year. I usually have a bag of their Sea Salt & Olive oil popcorn in my pantry anyway and I their Cinnamon Caramel Popcorn is probably my favorite flavor ever, and the inspiration behind my Cinnamon Caramel Sauce. Their popcorn is fresh, non-GMO, & gluten free…and it tastes amazing when you coat it with white chocolate.

I know you're going to love this Santa Munch as much as we do…hopefully they'll be some left to actually leave for Santa and the reindeer. I'm sure Rudolph likes popcorn, yes?

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE PRINTABLE TAGS.

Santa Munch Popcorn Snack Mix

Yield: 10-12 cups

Santa Munch Popcorn Snack Mix - an easy 5 ingredient popcorn mix that is the perfect Christmas treat! Popcorn, pretzels, and nuts are coated with white chocolate and mixed with M&Ms making the perfect sweet treat for parties or packaged for goody bags with the printable tags!

Ingredients:

• 8 cups popped popcorn (I used Gaslamp Sea Salt & Olive Oil)
• 2 cups pretzels (rods or mini twists)
• 1 cup nuts, optional (I used almonds)
• 12 ounce bag white chocolate chips (about 2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or shortening
• 11 ounce bag holiday M&Ms (any kind)

Directions:

1. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. Place popcorn, pretzels, and nuts in a very large bowl. Place white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and coat with oil. Heat on 50% power for 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth. Pour melted chocolate over the popcorn mixture and carefully toss to coat. Turn out mixture onto prepared cookie sheet and let sit to set (chill if needed).
3. Once it's set, break apart the popcorn mixture and place in a resealable bag for storage. Add the M&Ms. Serve in a big bowl or package into treat bags.
4. Mixture stays good for up to one week, as long as it's airtight.

Notes:

To package in treat bags: use fold-top sandwich bags. Fill baggies with popcorn. Cut out labels. Fold the labels in half, then gather the top of the baggie and place the folded label over the top. Seal with double-sided tape or a staple.

© Crazy for Crust. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe.

Popcorn is such an easy impromptu ingredient that can make the holidays even better. Gaslamp Popcorn is encouraging consumers to think about popcorn differently: not only as an easy better-for-you snack, but also as an ingredient (like in a popcorn snack mix). They've created a quiz to help you find the perfect popcorn recipe for you. Deck the Halls with Gaslamp Popcorn asks you to take a quick quiz telling you what kind of a holiday persona you are and matches it with a popcorn recipe to fit your holiday. Take the quiz here and be entered to win $1,000 and a years worth of Gaslamp Popcorn!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Popcorn

Peanut Butter Caramel Corn

This post has been sponsored by Gaslamp Popcorn. All opinions are 100% my own.

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Source: Crazy for Crust

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking…what is Polynesian Chicken exactly?

To me, it was course #4 in the once famous "Polynesian Luau for 5" at the Holiday Inn Restaurant in Liberty, NY. The Luau served up a soup, a Pu Pu platter, and one dish per person, depending upon how many people were in your luau party. Shrimp with Lobster Sauce and Pork Fried Rice for a party of two. Add Roast Pork with Chinese Vegetables for three and Moo Goo Gai Pan for four.

And for five people? The addition of a big plate of Polynesian Chicken. (In case you couldn't tell already, a Holiday Inn luau was easily one of the highlights of many folks' upstate New York vacationing experience.)

Okay, time for a quick disclaimer. Neither the Holiday Inn luau nor this Polynesian chicken recipe actually resemble traditional Polynesian cooking. No fish or taro or any other authentic Polynesian ingredients we're probably woefully unaware of. And we should clarify that platters of American Chinese food do not, in fact, make a luau. The Holiday Inn's restaurant menu was clearly American Chinese, and the Polynesian Luau was likely the product of some imaginative menu-planner at Holiday Inn corporate, but the concept worked. There were lines out the door every summer weekend, and sometimes during the week!

So what goes into the Holiday Inn's Polynesian Chicken? It was a few large pieces of crispy, batter-fried chicken breast, set on a bed of shredded Chinese vegetables in a luscious brown sauce. People ordered Polynesian Chicken a la carte off the menu just as often as an entourage of five vacationing New Yorkers decided to indulge in the Polynesian Luau for 5. Like many of the recipe requests we've received from readers, this one is pretty unique. It's a little piece of Chinese-Americana circa 1975, and you likely won't find it anywhere else.

The Catskills in the 70s was a hopping place during the summer, boosted by the multiple summer camps in the area and, of course, the once famous Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel (where my mother and Judy's grandmother met, and how our family got started–but that's a story for another time).

(Photos courtesy of The Catskills Institute)

Chinese restaurants were quite popular in those days, frequented by summer vacationers from New York City and Northern New Jersey tired of the kosher fare coming out of the resort kitchens.

Liberty, NY, where I grew up, was the epicenter of Chinese cuisine in the Catskills region, with four restaurants all located within minutes of each other: Singer's Chinese Restaurant on Main Street, King's in a harder-to-find neighborhood in northwestern Liberty, the Triangle Diner at the entrance of Grossinger's (yes, they had a Chinese menu!) and of course, the place where I spent my summers and where my father worked as chef––the Holiday Inn Restaurant just off exit 100 on Route 17. All these restaurants had pretty similar menus, but as far I know, the Holiday Inn had the one and only Polynesian Chicken, and I'm bringing you that recipe today.

These restaurants and the Grossinger's resort have been closed down for years now, but I hope you enjoy this forgotten dish and a small piece of history from my hometown. 

You'll need: 

For the chicken:

• 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast
• Salt, to taste
• A pinch of white pepper
• A pinch of onion powder
• A pinch of garlic powder

For the batter:

• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon paprika
• ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ cup cold beer or club soda

For the rest of the dish:

NOTE: As with many of our recipes, you should have all your vegetables prepared, chopped and ready to go before you start cooking. The actual cooking process will be very fast!

Carefully split the chicken breast into two thinner pieces that are roughly the same size. Sprinkle the salt, white pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder on both sides of the chicken breast, and set aside.

Make the batter by mixing all of the batter ingredients in a bowl until combined. Do not overmix!

Meanwhile, heat 4 cups of canola oil in a small wok or cast-iron frying pan until it reaches 350 degrees F. Use a candy thermometer to check the temperature, because you don't want to burn the batter before the chicken is cooked.

Dip both of the chicken breasts into the batter…

And fry until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes on each side), turning the chicken pieces often in the oil.

Set the fried chicken aside on a wire rack to drain off any excess oil. If you own a Chinese spider with the bamboo handle, now is the time dig it out of the cupboard and use it!

If you are unsure whether or not the chicken is done, you can cut into one of the pieces to make sure the juices are no longer pink. However, the chicken is cut thin, so it's relatively easy to cook it until it's just done. This is important for achieving a tasty chicken dish.

Heat your wok over high heat, and add 1 tablespoon of the frying oil to your wok. Add the garlic, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and red bell peppers, and stir-fry for 30 seconds.

Add in the Shaoxing wine, followed by the napa cabbage. Continue to stir-fry for 30 seconds, and stir in the soy sauces, salt, sugar, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and white pepper.

Next, add the snow peas and give everything a quick stir.

Add the hot chicken stock. Let the sauce come to a boil, and add the cornstarch/water mixture. Stir-fry for another 30 seconds until the sauce has thickened enough to coat a spoon.

Transfer the vegetable mixture to a plate. Slice the chicken into 1½-inch wide pieces, and place on top of the bed of vegetables. Serve immediately with white rice!

Polynesian Chicken

Prep time

45 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

1 hour

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast
• Salt, to taste
• A pinch of white pepper
• A pinch of onion powder
• A pinch of garlic powder

For the batter:

• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon paprika
• ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ cup cold beer or club soda

For the rest of the dish:

• 4 cups of canola oil for frying
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup sliced button or cremini mushrooms
• ¼ cup julienned bamboo shoots
• ½ cup julienned red bell pepper
• 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
• 4 cups shredded napa cabbage
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• Freshly ground white pepper
• 1 cup snow peas, ends trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
• ¾ cup hot chicken stock or water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

1. Carefully split the chicken breast into two thinner pieces that are roughly the same size. Sprinkle the salt, white pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder on both sides of the chicken breast, and set aside.
2. Make the batter by mixing all of the batter ingredients in a bowl until combined. Do not overmix! Meanwhile, heat 4 cups of canola oil in a small wok or cast-iron frying pan until it reaches 350 degrees F. Use a candy thermometer to check the temperature, because you don't want to burn the batter before the chicken is cooked.
3. Dip both of the chicken breasts into the batter and fry until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes on each side), turning the chicken pieces often in the oil. Set the fried chicken aside on a wire rack to drain off any excess oil.
4. If you are unsure whether or not the chicken is done, you can cut into one of the pieces to make sure the juices are no longer pink. However, the chicken is cut thin, so it's relatively easy to cook it until it's just done. This is important for achieving a tasty chicken dish.
5. Heat your wok over high heat, and add 1 tablespoon of the frying oil to your wok. Add the garlic, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and red bell peppers, and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add in the Shaoxing wine, followed by the napa cabbage. Continue to stir-fry for 30 seconds, and stir in the soy sauces, salt, sugar, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and white pepper.
6. Next, add the snow peas and give everything a quick stir. Add the hot chicken stock. Let the sauce come to a boil, and add the cornstarch/water mixture. Stir-fry for another 30 seconds until the sauce has thickened enough to coat a spoon.
7. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a plate. Slice the chicken into 1½-inch wide pieces, and place on top of the bed of vegetables. Serve immediately with white rice!

3.5.3226

 

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

Chinese BBQ Pork Buns (Cha Siu Bao)

Chocolate Rice Krispie Nuggets with Sea Salt

Chicken with Black Beans

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Source: The Woks of Life

These are the absolute best nanaimo bars, an amazing, no bake treat that's a perfect addition to your holiday dessert table!

Have you ever had a nanaimo bar?  When I originally posted this recipe almost two years ago, I discovered that they're actually a Canadian thing and many, many people have never heard of them, let alone tried them.

Now, clearly I should have known this was a Canadian treat.  They're named after a city that I visit every. single. summer.  This should have been obvious to me.  For some reason I just thought this was a strange coincidence.  I can't even believe that I'm admitting that because I feel just slightly ridiculous for not knowing.

I guess I just can't imagine anyone not knowing about these little treats.  How does everyone not know and love nanaimo bars?  They're too amazing to only be a thing in Canada!

Nanaimo bars have always been a favourite of mine.  When they were on the dessert table at a buffet, there was no question about what to choose.  But the first time I remember having an absolutely amazing one was the first year that I spent Christmas with my husbands family.  My mother-in-law makes the best nanaimo bars.  That's just a fact.

Nanaimo bars were actually not a dessert that I considered a Christmas treat until I was married.  Although I'm certainly on board with that little tradition.

The best part about making them every year at Christmas is that I'm no longer too tempted by them when I see them at restaurants.  They're always a bit disappointing.  These are the best, so why bother with any others?

They are also so simple to make.  It takes minutes to make each layer, and there is no baking required.  Mix a few things together, spread it in the pan and chill.  Repeat.  That's all you do for these.  They're pretty, they're easy to make and they're so delicious.  That's a perfect Christmas treat in my opinion.

If you love nanaimo bars, you need to try these.  And if you've never tried one – you most definitely need to make these this Christmas.  They shouldn't be just a Canadian thing, they're far too good for that.

Updated Nov 28/16, originally posted Dec 22/14.

The Best Nanaimo Bars

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Bake.Eat.Repeat.

Yield: 24 bars

These are the absolute best nanaimo bars, an amazing sweet treat that's a perfect addition to your holiday dessert table!

30 minPrep Time

30 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

For the base:

2 ounces (57g) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup (114g) butter, softened

2 tablespoons (28g) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon (5mL) vanilla

4 tablespoons (60mL) pasteurized egg whites (or one large egg)

2 cups (244g) graham wafer crumbs

1 cup (74g) unsweetened coconut

For the filling:

4 tablespoons (34g) custard powder

6 tablespoons (90mL) milk

1/2 cup (114g) butter

4 cups (454g) powdered sugar

1 tablespoon (15mL) vanilla

For the glaze

4 ounces (113g) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

4 tablespoons (57g) butter

Directions

1. Place the 2 ounces of chocolate in a medium microwave safe bowl and microwave for 2-3 minutes at 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds, until the chocolate is almost melted. Continue to stir until it is completely melted. Add the butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, egg whites, graham wafer crumbs and unsweetened coconut and mix well. Press into a 9x13 inch pan and chill for 20 minutes.
2. In another bowl, whisk together the custard powder and milk. Mix in the butter as well as you can, it will look a bit lumpy, that's okay. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread the filling evenly over the chilled base. Chill for another 15-20 minutes.
3. In a microwave safe bowl, place the 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate and the butter and heat at 50% power for 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until the chocolate is almost melted. Continue stirring until it is completely melted. Spread evenly over the chilled custard layer. Chill for several hours or overnight.
4. Cut into bars and store covered in the refrigerator for a week, or remove from the pan and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. I actually prefer these just slightly thawed straight from the freezer!

Notes

I've used both unsalted and salted butter for these and both are fine, so use your preference. I use baking chocolate for both the base and the glaze. You could certainly use chocolate chips instead, but I wouldn't recommend it as they don't melt as well as the baking chocolate.

Source: Slightly adapted from my mother-in-laws recipe. I use pasteurized egg whites rather than a whole egg for the base.

6.6.15

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Bake.Eat.Repeat.

Related Recipes

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Nov 27

Cookies 'n Cream Oreo Cake Roll

posted by Dorothy Kern

Cookies 'n Cream Oreo Cake Roll – this EASY cake roll recipe is dark chocolate and filled with Oreo whipped cream and chocolate ganache. Every time I make a cake roll I think I've topped all my previous ones…and I certainly have this time.

Hey my friends! How was your Thanksgiving? Did you shop on Black Friday? Ours was great and Jordan dragged me out on Friday, as she's been planning all year.

Okay, really, I'm lying. I have no idea how Thanksgiving was. I'm writing this on Wednesday, before the holiday. You see, I realllllllly need a break from work. The last few weeks have been hard and my body is screaming at me to STOP WORKING FOR A HOT MINUTE.

So, instead of waiting to write this post all about how I deftly avoided talking politics at Thanksgiving dinner and the great deals we got at the mall on Friday, I'm knocking this post out today so that (hopefully) I can sleep through the night tonight without my to-do list beckoning me from the other room.

Of course, I'll still be pinning. And on Facebook. And checking comments (such is a bloggers life) but all of my must-do items will be checked off my list.

If I'd been really good at getting things done, I would have shared this post BEFORE Thanksgiving because it's such a great party dessert. But hey, now we're looking forward to Christmas and there are are probably parties every weekend.

I have to say that this Oreo Cake Roll is probably my favorite cake roll of all time. (Okay, that's a lie. I can't choose. I have too many to choose from. But it ranks up there with the strawberry one and the peanut butter one.)

This is my favorite chocolate cake roll base, except I used Special Dark Cocoa to make it more like an Oreo. Hershey's makes that flavor, but you can use any unsweetened cocoa powder you like. I get lots of comments about how sometimes the cake isn't thick and moist and there are two reasons for that:

1. It's not a traditional cake recipe. It's not going to be super fluffy and extra moist like a normal chocolate cake.
2. You have to beat the eggs the amount of time it specifies in the recipe. Don't skimp!! If you don't beat enough air into the eggs you'll get a flatter cake.

If you've never made a cake roll, it's super easy. I'll put all the links for all my tips and tricks right above the recipe.

I made a Cookies 'n Cream filling with freshly whipped cream full of Oreo cookies. Roll the cake back up and then coat it with a chocolate ganache and more crushed Oreos.

I made two of these cakes for my daughter's class. They're reading a book in school about a French family that lives under a bridge and it references "log cakes". Her teacher asked me to bring these in to show what a log cake really is and to give the class a treat. According to Jordan everyone loved it!

Here are some tips and tricks for cake roll success:

Remember my cardinal cake roll making rules:

1. Roll it while it's hot.
2. If it cracks, cover it with more glaze or frosting. This one cracked…can you even tell? Why do you think I covered it in ganache? 🙂

Cookies 'n Cream Oreo Cake Roll

Yield: 10-12 servings

Total Time: 1 hour plus cooling

Cookies 'n Cream Oreo Cake Roll - this EASY cake roll recipe is dark chocolate and filled with Oreo whipped cream and chocolate ganache. It's decadent!

Ingredients:

For the Cake

• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons brewed coffee (or water)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• Powdered sugar, to aid in rolling

For the Filling:

• 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 12 Oreos, crushed

For the Topping (optional):

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Make the Cake: preheat oven to 350°F. Line a jelly roll (10x15") pan with foil and spray with cooking spray (I like to use the spray with flour).
2. Beat eggs at high speed for 3 minutes, until frothy and dark yellow. Beat in sugar, coffee or water, and vanilla extract.
3. Whisk together cocoa, salt, baking powder, and flour. Stir into wet ingredients just until blended.
4. Spread in prepared pan. Batter will be in a very thin layer and you will need to use a wooden spoon or spatula to spread it to all the corners of the pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes. You'll know it's done because if you lightly poke the top with your fingertip it will slightly bounce back.
5. While the cake is baking, set a clean kitchen towel out on a large work surface. Sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar (about 1/4 cup). As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, turn it over on the kitchen towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Remove foil carefully.
6. Working at the short end, fold the edge of the towel over the cake. Roll tightly, rolling up the cake into the towel. Let cool completely while rolled, at least one hour (or you can wrap it overnight).
7. Make the Filling: beat heavy whipping cream in an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. (You can also use a hand mixer, but it will take longer.) Slowly add in powdered sugar and vanilla during beating. Beat until whipped cream forms. Stir in crushed Oreos, reserving a tablespoon or two for garnish.
8. Assemble Cake: once the cake has cooled, unroll it carefully. Spread the whipped cream on the cake, leaving 1" without filling at either end. Re-roll cake, scooping out any filling that spills out as you roll. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour before frosting. If you have leftover whipped cream, you can use it for topping, or top it like I did, see next step.
9. Make the topping: place chocolate chips and heavy whipping cream in a microwave safe measuring cup or bowl. Heat on high power for 60-90 seconds or until the cream is hot, then whisk until smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes.
10. Place cake roll on a wire rack set over a cookie sheet. Pour the ganache over the cake evenly. Top with remaining crushed cookies. Chill until set.
11. Note: The cake should stay chilled until right before serving or the whipped cream filling will get warm and it will be hard to slice.

© Crazy for Crust. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe.

FIND ALL MY CAKE ROLL RECIPES HERE.

Chocolate Coconut Cake Roll

Chocolate Truffle Cake Roll

Peanut Butter Cup Cake Roll

Extreme Cookies 'n Cream Oreo Cake

Sweets from friends:
Cookies 'n Cream Poke Cake by Melanie Makes
Cookies 'n Cream Muddy Buddies by Mandy's Recipe Box
No Bake Cookies 'n Cream Meltaways by Lemon Tree Dwelling

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Source: Crazy for Crust