Father's Day Desserts - SugarHero

Hamburger Cupcakes Recipe

Elizabeth LaBau — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 00:40:00 +0000

If you want to take your cupcake game up a notch, try these Hamburger Cupcakes! Yellow cupcakes are turned into hamburger look-alikes by filling them with fudgy brownies, plenty of frosting, and fresh strawberry slices.

🍔 Easy Hamburger Cupcakes

Very important question: are Hamburger Cupcakes dinner, or dessert? If you have a mega sweet tooth like me, the answer is YES! All of the above. These cute homemade Hamburger Cupcakes are perfect for parties, summer gatherings, picnics, and more. Serve them with Sugar Cookie French Fries and lots of frosting “ketchup” for the ultimate dessert meal!

We’re more than a little obsessed with cute cupcakes around here, so be sure to check out our Mermaid Cupcakes, Narwhal Cupcakes, Pineapple Cupcakes, and Flamingo Cupcakes! And these Cookie Monster Cupcakes might be a new favorite; the frosting they are stuffed with is out of this world!

Sugar Cookie French Fries

Elizabeth LaBau — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 15:46:00 +0000

Love cookies? Love French fries? Then this is the recipe for you! Sugar Cookie French Fries are crisp, buttery cookies that look just like French fries. Serve with frosting “ketchup” for maximum cuteness!

I’m a strong believer that desserts should be fun. Fun to make, fun to eat, and fun to serve. After all, nobody NEEDS desserts, we eat them because we want to! So I recommend not taking dessert-making too seriously, and remember to play with your food sometimes.

You can’t get much more playful than these Sugar Cookie French Fries! These sugar cookies are beyond easy, but their French fry look-alike shape makes them WAY more fun than the typical round cookie. Serve them for a backyard bar-b-que, April Fool’s Day, Father’s Day or any other reason you want to have some fun. Don’t forget to serve them with frosting “ketchup” and a platter of Hamburger Cupcakes to complete the look!

If you love fun and easy food, you won’t want to miss our Dirt Pudding Cups (Dirt Dessert), Easy Microwave Fudge, and Oreo Milkshake! These Stars and Stripe Cookies and Big Soft Sugar Cookies (with Frosting!)are also a show stopper!

Golf Ball Truffles and Putting Green Brownies

Elizabeth LaBau — Mon, 13 Jun 2016 21:39:16 +0000

These Golf Ball Truffles and Putting Green Brownies are perfect for the golf lover in your life! Rich, fudgy brownies are topped with frosting “grass” and a delicious white chocolate truffle that looks JUST like a golf ball!

With Father’s Day coming up this weekend, I’ve got masculine stereotypes on the brain! Sorry, guys—do you get sick of being reduced to power tools, grilling, and bushy mustaches? If so, good news—I’m branching out and working with the “all dudes love golf” stereotype today. So I’ve gotcha covered!

Truly, I know that not all fathers enjoy golf—I don’t even think my own father has stepped foot onto a golf course that didn’t have “miniature” in front of it—but the moment I saw these cute golf ball candy molds, I was powerless to resist the allure of a golf ball dessert. And even if your own particular father-person in your life isn’t a golfer, we all probably know SOMEONE obsessed with the sport. These mini brownie desserts would look equally at home at a birthday party or golf viewing party! Time for you all to pick up what I’m putting down, is what I’m saying.

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So let’s break down the components of these babies. It starts with a rich, fudgy brownie, squat and dense and packed with dark chocolate flavor. The brownies are cut into rounds, and topped with green buttercream applied using a grass tip, so it looks like the well-groomed grass of a putting green.

The pièce de résistance, however, is the perfectly spherical white chocolate truffle on top, that bears an uncanny resemblance to a real golf ball. It’s made with a special half-spherical golf ball mold, and when you join those two halves together, you have a candy that could easily fool someone into thinking it’s the real thing.

You can make hollow golf balls, or solid white chocolate golf balls, but since it’s Father’s Day, and since the fathers in my stereotype-filled world enjoy a boozy dessert, we’re going to fill these with white chocolate-rum ganache, spiked with orange zest and cinnamon. They’re amazingly complex and flavorful, and the citrus/cinnamon combination compliments the spicy rum and sweet white chocolate perfectly.

The final result is a perfect single-serving dessert that has a little bit of everything: dark chocolate brownies for the chocoholics, lush buttercream for the frostingphiles, white chocolate-rum truffles for the boozehounds, and a darling golf theme for everyone with eyeballs!

Make these for the golf lover in your life, you WON’T be sorry! Or just use the recipe and adapt it to a different candy mold or theme altogether—it’s very flexible and definitely shouldn’t be pigeonholed as a father’s-only dessert. Enjoy!

💚More Dessert Recipes You’ll Love

Bronuts Maple Bars

Bronuts are homemade maple bars unlike any doughnut you've ever had before. They are covered with a variety of sweet and savory dude-approved toppings like bacon, potato chips, and a sriracha glaze!

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Dude Food Magic Bars

These awesome Dude Food Magic Bars are so EASY to make. Dump a bunch of delicious ingredients like bacon, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, pretzels and potato chips in a pan and bake it … must I go on!?

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5 from 1 vote

Golf Ball Truffles and Putting Green Brownies

These Golf Ball Truffles and Putting Green Brownies are perfect for the golf lover in your life! Rich, fudgy brownies are topped with frosting "grass" and a delicious white chocolate truffle that looks JUST like a golf ball!

Prep Time3

Cook Time25

Total Time3 25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Golf Ball Truffles and putting green brownies

Dessert Type: Brownies, Misc. Desserts

Servings:

Author: Elizabeth LaBau

Ingredients

For the Golf Ball Truffles:

1 lb white candy coating melts
12 oz white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate
6 TBSP heavy cream
2 oz unsalted butter (4 TBSP), at room temperature
¼ cup rum can substitute additional ¼ cup cream + 1 tsp vanilla if desired
1 TBSP orange zest
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt

For the Brownies:

1 lb unsalted butter cubed
1 lb semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
6 oz unsweetened chocolate chopped
6 large eggs
2 TBSP instant espresso powder or instant coffee
2 TBSP vanilla extract
16 oz granulated sugar (2 ¼ cups)
5.66 oz all-purpose flour (1 2/3 cup)
1 TBSP baking powder
1 tsp salt

For the Buttercream:

12 oz powdered sugar (3 cups), sifted after measuring
4 oz unsalted butter (1/2 cup, or 1 stick), at room temperature
2 tbsp milk more if necessary
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
Green gel food coloring I used Americolor brand

US Standard – Metric

Instructions

To Make the Golf Ball Truffles:

Make sure your golf ball candy molds are clean and completely dry.
Place the white chocolate candy coating in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after every 30 seconds to prevent overheating. Stir until the coating is melted and smooth. Use a spoon or candy scoop to fill each cavity in the mold with white coating, coming up to the top. Let the mold sit for 2-3 minutes, until the coating just starts get a little thicker.
Place a piece of parchment or waxed paper on your work surface, and turn the mold upside-down, letting the excess coating drip out onto the parchment. (You can re-use this extra coating for another project!) Once only a thin layer of white coating remains, set the mold down on the counter and drag a bench scraper, metal spatula, or knife across the top to remove any excess coating and give the golf balls smooth edges. Refrigerate the mold while you prepare the filling.
Combine the chopped white chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave together in 30-second increments until mostly melted. Whisk until smooth—at first it might seem too thick, but keep whisking and it will loosen up until it’s the texture of a thick liquid. Add the room temperature butter, rum, orange zest, cinnamon, and salt, and whisk everything together until smooth.
Press a layer of cling wrap on top of the ganache and refrigerate for about an hour, until it has thickened slightly and is the texture of peanut butter. Fit a piping bag with a large round tip or coupler, and scrape the ganache into the piping bag. Pipe the ganache into each chilled golf ball cavity, until it comes almost to the top of the mold. Leave a small margin at the top. Refrigerate the molds again for about 45 minutes to make the filling firmer. Turn the mold upside down and flex it gently to remove the golf balls halves.
Re-melt some white coating and place it in a paper cone or plastic bag with a hole snipped in the corner. Pipe a circle of coating around the edge of one of the golf ball halves, and press a second half on top. Run your finger around the edge to remove any excess coating. Repeat until you’ve stuck all of the golf ball halves together.

To Make the Brownies:

Line an 18”x13” half-sheet baking pan with foil, and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Combine the butter, semi-sweet chocolate, and unsweetened chocolate in a large microwave-safe bowl. Melt them together in 30-second increments, stirring after every 30 seconds to prevent overheating. Once melted and smooth, let it cool to room temperature.
Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then whisk in the instant espresso, vanilla, and granulated sugar. Continue to whisk until the texture smooths and thickens and the batter becomes glossy, like pudding. Finally, add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and stir in gently with a spatula until no streaks of flour remain.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer. Bake the brownies for 15 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven and gently rap it on the counter to release any air bubbles. Return it to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes (25 minutes of baking total), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached.
Let the brownies cool completely to room temperature before assembling.

To Make the Buttercream:

Place all of the ingredients except the food coloring in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the sugar is moistened. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat again on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. You can add more milk or sugar, if desired, to get the consistency you want. Add a few drops of green food coloring and mix it in, the add more if necessary until you get a grass green color.

To Assemble:

Take a circle cutter (3 – 3.5” size recommended) and cut out 12 rounds from the brownie pan. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a grass tip. Pipe green grass over the top of each brownie round. Top them with a golf ball truffle, and serve! For the best taste and texture, enjoy this dessert at room temperature.

Video

Notes

The brownie recipe is adapted from Ina Garten’s Outrageous Brownies

A few notes about this recipe: the truffles have several extended chilling times, so I recommend leaving yourself plenty of time to make them. The components can also be made ahead of time, over the course of several days, if you’d like to spread out the work. I recommend using white chocolate candy coating instead of regular white chocolate, to make the golf ball shells, because white chocolate tends to be softer at room temperature–but white chocolate can be substituted if that’s what’s available to you. Note that the mold I recommend makes 6 truffles at a time, while this recipe makes enough for 12–so you’ll either need 2 molds, or to construct the truffles two times in a row.

Measuring Tips

Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.

Nutrition

Tuxedo Brownies

Elizabeth LaBau — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 08:56:05 +0000

These Tuxedo Brownies start with an ultra-fudgy base packed with white and dark chocolate chunks. They’re topped with a whipped white chocolate-vanilla bean frosting, then finished with a shiny chocolate glaze with beautiful white chocolate ripples.

Maybe you took one look at the gluttonous Bronuts I posted earlier this week and had a small heart attack.

“Well, I never! What are desserts coming to these days! Bacon and potato chips and Sriracha? Filth, utter filth! Jeeves, pass me my smelling salts!”

It’s okay, Lord Fussbudget Highnmightypants, I’ve got you covered too. Allow me to present, for your most excellent viewing pleasure, a dessert on the opposite end of the fancy spectrum: Tuxedo Brownies. (With an actual edible bow tie, natch, because I am painfully, literally, and more than a little cheesy.)

This one’s for all the people out there who know the exact purpose of every mysterious fork at the dinner table. Who wouldn’t dream of drinking tea without their pinky out. Who have a spare set of pince nez, just in case something happens to their first pair. Who always wear a tuxedo after 6 pm, because what are they, farmers? Yes, I’ve made these Tuxedo Brownies just for you.

So why are they called Tuxedo Brownies? Well, in addition to the fact that I’m on a Father’s Day kick and thought it would be cute, I was thinking of tuxedo cakes when I came up with them. A tuxedo cake is typically a chocolate cake with white buttercream or whipped cream, finished with a shiny chocolate glaze dripping down the sides. Upcoming holiday + riff off an existing dessert = Tuxedo Brownies are born!

The brownies start with an ultra-fudgy base packed with white and dark chocolate chunks. They’re topped with a whipped white chocolate-vanilla bean frosting, then finished with a shiny chocolate glaze with beautiful white chocolate ripples. (See how the ripples are made here.) And the bow ties! Oh, the bow ties.

Of course the bow ties are completely optional. They add zero flavor, and I won’t object if you roll your eyes and scroll on by. However, if you’re like me and the thought of putting an actual bowtie on a Tuxedo Brownie absolutely tickles you, here’s how you do it!

This is my method for making tiny bow ties, and it couldn’t be simpler. The short version is: Roll, Cut, Pinch, and Wrap. Take a ball of fondant and roll it out until it’s about 1/8” thick. Cut it into a small rectangle (mine were about 1 3/4” x 3/4”) and a small strip. Pinch the rectangle together in the middle, then wrap the strip around it and pinch it together in the back. Make any adjustments you need to, like pinching the bow tie’s corners, until it’s a shape you like. Voila!

These are outrageously rich, super substantial and satisfying, and so gorgeous! Serve them in small slivers as part of a dessert tray, or plate them with a big scoop of ice cream for the perfect finish to a special meal.

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These Oreo Brookies pack a double punch of chocolate by layering chocolate chip cookie dough and fudgy brownie batter around Oreo cookies. It’s the ultimate chocolate dessert mashup!

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Seven Layer Bars are one of the easiest bar cookie recipes you can make–and one of the tastiest! With seven distinct layers, these little bars pack BIG flavor and texture–and they only take a few minutes to put together.

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5 from 1 vote

Tuxedo Brownies

Prep Time4

Cook Time35

Total Time4 35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: fancy brownies, homemade brownies, party platter, tuxedo brownies

Dessert Type: Brownies

Servings:

Author: Elizabeth LaBau

Ingredients

For the Brownies:

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate finely chopped
4 oz unsweetened chocolate finely chopped
8 oz unsalted butter cubed
10.5 oz granulated sugar (1 ½ cups)
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
4.25 oz all-purpose flour (1 cup)
½ tsp salt
6 oz white chocolate chunks (1 cup)
3 oz chocolate chunks (1/2 cup)

For the White Chocolate Frosting:

6 oz white chocolate (1 cup), finely chopped
8 oz unsalted butter (1 cup), at room temperature
12 oz powdered sugar (3 cups)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or 2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp heavy cream

For the Chocolate Glaze:

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate finely chopped
3 oz unsalted butter (6 tbsp), cubed
1 tbsp light corn syrup
2 oz white chocolate (1/3 cup), finely chopped
1 tsp vegetable oil

US Standard – Metric

Instructions

To Make the Brownies:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with foil, extending the foil up and over the sides, and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
Place the finely chopped chocolate in a large saucepan, and gently heat it over low heat, stirring often, until it is nearly melted. Add the cubed butter and stir it in until the butter is melted. Remove the pan from the heat.
Add the granulated sugar and stir it into the chocolate—it will become grainy. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract, and continue to whisk until the batter loses its grainy texture and becomes smoother and thicker—it will start to clump together and feel thick like chocolate pudding. This may take several minutes of whisking, but this process gives the brownies a better final texture.
Finally, add the flour and salt, and stir it together with a spatula. Add the two types of chocolate chunks, scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth it into an even layer. Bake the brownies at 350 F for 30-35 minutes, rotating halfway through. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center is no longer gooey but still has moist crumbs attached. Cool completely before adding the frosting.

To Make the White Chocolate Frosting:

Place the white chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in short bursts, stirring frequently, until the white chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside until it is completely cool to the touch.
Combine the butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of a large stand mixer. Cream them together until light and fluffy, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the vanilla and cream, and beat them into the frosting. Finally, add the melted (and cooled!) white chocolate and beat it in until the frosting is nice and fluffy. If it seems too thick, add a bit of cream to thin it out, and if it seems too soft, add more powdered sugar until you have a nice spreadable consistency.
Spread the frosting on top of the cooled brownies in an even layer, and chill for at least 30 minutes before adding the chocolate glaze.

To Make the Chocolate Glaze and Assemble:

Combine the chocolate, butter, and corn syrup in a medium bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments and stir well until the mixture is melted and smooth. Set aside.
In another small bowl, combine the white chocolate and vegetable oil and microwave, stirring frequently, until melted. Transfer this white chocolate mixture into a ziplock plastic bag and snip a small hole in one corner.
Now, pour the chocolate glaze (previously set aside) on top of the brownies and smooth it into an even layer. Use the small plastic bag with the white chocolate mixture in it to pipe white chocolate lines across the pan, spacing them about 1/2-inch apart.
Take a toothpick and drag it through the lines, creating ripples, then when you reach the far end of the pan, reverse direction and drag it back the other way. Continue until you've created a wavy pattern on top of the brownies. Chill the pan for at least an hour, to set the frosting and glaze completely.
Lift the brownies from the pan using the foil as handles. Use a sharp knife to cut the brownies into small squares. For the cleanest cuts, cut them when they’re still cold from the refrigerator, but for the best taste and texture, let them come to room temperature before serving. For maximum cuteness top them with a small fondant bow.

Notes

The frosting recipe is adapted from Comfortably Domestic.

Measuring Tips

Nutrition

Bronuts Maple Bars

Elizabeth LaBau — Tue, 16 Jun 2015 18:06:36 +0000

Bronuts are homemade maple bars unlike any doughnut you’ve ever had before. They are covered with a variety of sweet and savory dude-approved toppings like bacon, potato chips, and a sriracha glaze!

Bronuts: (n) pieces of fried dough (commonly called doughnuts) adorned with savory toppings that are commonly beloved by gentlemen in the 18-30 age bracket (commonly called bros). While Bronuts take their name from a specific demographic, their consumption is not limited to young males but is open to all ages and genders.

Common Usage: “Yo, bro, did you eat the last bronut? I was saving that to have after my cold pizza this morning, dude. Not cool, bro. NOT COOL.”

With Father’s Day coming up, I wanted to dust off my Big Book O’ Culinary Cliches and make another treat packed with brolicious flavors that dads might enjoy, like bacon, potato chips, and Sriracha. And yes, I know #notallmen or whatever, but let’s just surrender to the beauty of that solid bronuts wordplay and go with it.

A few years ago I made Dude Food Magic Bars for Father’s Day. (Those are seven-layer cookie bars topped with bacon, chips, pretzels, and dulce de leche, and you need them in your life!) They’ve proven to be a reader favorite and I knew it was time to revisit the dude food genre and reinterpret another favorite: the humble doughnut.

I decided to use maple bars as my base because the main dude in my life loves maple bars. I am a staunch vanilla crueller loyalist, and I never understood why he would always go for a maple bar. Like, eat a pancake if you want maple flavor in the morning, am I right? But apparently it’s differences like these that keep a marriage spicy, so I decided to humor him and make a batch of maple bars.

The bars are based on my new favorite doughnut recipe, the same one I used to make the Crème Brulee Doughnuts a few months ago. It’s from the Flour Bakery cookbook and although it has a longer chill time that foils any attempt at instant gratification, it’s so wonderfully fluffy, I forgive it for any fiddliness. The bars are crispy on the outside, perfectly light on the inside, and smothered in a crackly, shiny maple glaze.

I did 3 different variations: potato chips, crumbled crispy bacon, and a drizzle of Sriracha glaze. The potato chips add a wonderful salty crunch without a lot of flavor, so if you’re more of a maple bar purist, they might be the way to ease into full bronut-itude. The bacon reminded me of breakfasts where I’d layer bacon between layers of pancakes or waffles, and cover the whole thing with syrup. (Wheeeee!)

And the Sriracha was the most fun! Even with just a teaspoon of Sriracha in the glaze, it packs a bold flavor. It’s not only spicy, but savory (almost garlicky?) too, so if you’re not a Sriracha fan you might want to skip this one. But if you have ever said, “I literally want to put Sriracha on everything,” now’s your chance to put your money where you mouth is.

Happy Father’s Day to all the bros out there. *fist bump*

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Grilled Doughnuts

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Chocolate Blackout Doughnuts

These doughnuts are chocolate overload! Chocolate doughnuts, filled with chocolate pastry cream, topped with a chocolate glaze and chocolate sprinkles or chocolate doughnut crumbs.

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5 from 1 vote

Bronuts Maple Bars

Bronuts are homemade maple bars unlike any doughnut you've ever had before. They are covered with a variety of sweet and savory dude-approved toppings like bacon, potato chips, and a sriracha glaze!

Prep Time8

Cook Time30

Total Time8 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: doughnut, maple bars

Dessert Type: Doughnuts

Servings: doughnuts

Author: Elizabeth LaBau

Ingredients

For the Doughnuts:

.25 oz active dry yeast (1 package)
2/3 cup milk warm but not hot
16.88 oz all-purpose flour (3 ¾ cups)
2.33 oz granulated sugar (1/3 cup)
1 ½ tsp salt
3 large eggs at room temperature
3.5 oz unsalted butter (7 tbsp), at room temperature
1 quart canola oil for frying

For the Maple Glaze:

12 oz powdered sugar (3 cups), sifted after measuring
3 tbsp light corn syrup
4-5 tbsp milk
1-2 tsp maple extract
1 tsp Sriracha

Toppings (Optional):

Potato chips crushed
Bacon crumbled
Pretzels chopped

Instructions

To Make the Doughnuts:

Stir together the yeast and warm milk in the bowl of a large stand mixer and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, until the yeast has “bloomed” and become a creamy foam on top of the milk. If your yeast hasn’t changed at all, it’s dead and you should start with a new batch.
Add the flour, sugar, salt, and eggs to the milk in the mixer bowl, and mix on low speed with a dough hook for one minute, until the dough comes together to form a shaggy ball. Mix on low speed for an additional 2-3 minutes until it smooths out. After 2-3 minutes, continue mixing while you add the softened butter a tablespoon at a time. At first it might resist incorporating, but as you continue mixing the butter will gradually work its way into the dough. After the butter is added, mix for another 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and supple. It will be very soft
Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 6 hours, or overnight. The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 15 hours. It will try to rise in the refrigerator, so it’s important to wrap it well so it doesn’t burst out of the plastic.
When you’re ready to roll the doughnuts out, flour your work surface and sprinkle the top of the dough with a bit of flour. Cover two baking sheets with parchment and lightly flour the parchment as well. Roll the dough out until it is a rectangle about 8×12-inches long and 1/2-inch thick. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 14 rectangles, then transfer them to the baking sheets. Leave some room in between the doughnuts, since they will expand as they rise.
Cover the trays loosely with towels, then put it in a warm place to rise until doubled. Depending on the temperature and humidity of your kitchen, this could take anywhere from 1-2 hours.
Once the doughnuts are risen, pour the oil into a pot so that it’s at least 2 inches deep. Insert a candy/deep-fry thermometer and heat the oil over medium heat until it’s 350 F. Cover a baking sheet with several layers of paper towels.
Working in batches, carefully slide 2-3 doughnuts into the hot oil (depending on the size of your pot—don’t crowd them!). Fry them for about 1-2 minutes per side, until they’re puffed and golden brown on both sides. Use a frying spatula or slotted spoon to transfer the doughnuts to the paper towel-covered tray. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts, keeping an eye on the thermometer often. If the oil gets too hot, turn the heat down or remove it briefly from the stove, and if it gets too cool, pause your frying until it has a chance to heat up again.
Once all of the doughnuts are fried, let them cool completely before dipping them.

To Make the Maple Glaze:

In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, corn syrup, milk, and 1 tsp maple extract. Taste the glaze, and add additional maple flavor if desired. Dip the top half of the doughnuts into the glaze, and let extra drip back into the bowl. Place them back on a baking sheet, and while the glaze is still wet, sprinkle the tops with crushed chips, bacon, or pretzels.
To make the sriracha glaze, combine 3 tablespoons of the maple glaze with 1 tsp of Sriracha and stir together. Add additional powdered sugar, up to 1/4 cup, to make the glaze less runny. Pour it into a plastic bag and snip off the corner. Drizzle Sriracha glaze on top of the doughnuts.
Let the doughnuts sit for 30-60 minutes to set the glaze fully before serving or stacking them.

Notes

These doughnuts require an extended chilling time (at least 6 hours!) so you’ll probably want to make the dough the night before you’re ready to use it. Feel free to experiment and top these maple bars with whatever sweet and savory toppings you like best! The doughnut recipe is adapted from the Flour Bakery cookbook.

Measuring Tips

Nutrition

Goat Cheese Brownies

Elizabeth LaBau — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 21:17:58 +0000

Don’t be intimidated by the unusual sound of these Goat Cheese Brownies. The mild and creamy flavor of goat cheese pairs perfectly with chocolate. You’ll find these unique brownies quite addicting.

Father’s Day is coming. That probably means you should be stocking up on beef, and beer, and brats, and everything else men in sitcoms and Super Bowl commercials appear to love. Me, I’ll just be over here shoving goat cheese into brownies and calling it a day.

See, my man doesn’t like beer. He doesn’t eat much red meat, and he’s not even that fond of bacon. (Which fact did not prevent me from including it in my Dude Food Magic Bars from last Father’s Day.) What he does like is really intense chocolate desserts, and salty goodness.What I like is making mild-mannered brownies a little bit weird, so when you combine those two passions, you get these Goat Cheese Brownies. Like a marriage, this dessert is built on compromise, mutual respect, and lots of chocolate and butter.

I’m ready to make goat cheese desserts A Thing, are you with me? My girl Danguole over at 10th Kitchen is already hard at work fighting the good fight and pairing it with shortcakes and strawberries. The Kitchn had a great goat cheese cheesecake they featured a few months ago. But I can’t help but feeling we could be doing so much more with goat cheese! Its mild, slightly tangy flavor and soft texture makes it the perfect replacement for cream cheese in so many desserts, and with summer berries all around us, I think now is the time to get adventurous. Let’s stuff it in cakes! Let’s put it in tarts! Let’s pipe it on cupcakes! C’mon, let’s get wild.

I took my own advice and added goat cheese to two layers of these brownies. Soft chevre is mixed into the dark, fudgy brownie base, and then used to make the light and fluffy goat cheese frosting that’s sandwiched between the brownies and chocolate glaze. My original intention was to just make the brownies and glaze, but after I tasted the baked brownies, I was concerned. The goat cheese gave the brownies a wonderfully rich and decadent texture, but the flavor was subtle and hidden underneath the chocolate. “This is no good!” I cried. “I need more goat. BRING ME MORE GOAT!!”

So, the goat cheese frosting was born, and it’s one of my favorite elements in the finished bars. It helps lighten the otherwise heavy brownies, and it’s the perfect blend of sweet and tangy. And even thought I’ve written the word “goat” about fifty times in this post, thisis truly not a goaty dessert. If you gave it to someone and didn’t tell them what it was, they would probably just think it was an amazing cream cheese frosting! Pinky swear. Don’t fear the goat.

Oh, and the salt! One quick plug for this really fun pyramid salt I picked up at Trader Joe’s. I bought it on a whim (story of my TJs life) and was delighted to find that the flakes were really and truly shaped like pyramids. I may have an uninformed palate but I don’t think it tastes much different from my other flaked sea salt. However, I love the giant crystals and may or may not have hummed “Walk Like An Egyptian” as I crumbled them atop the brownies. You don’t need a fancy geometric salt to make these, but I do recommend a pinch of a crunchy, flaked salt on top—it makes all the difference and really provides the perfect finish.

Now go out there and get goaty!

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3.50 from 2 votes

Goat Cheese Brownies

Don't be intimidated by the unusual sound of these Goat Cheese Brownies. The mild and creamy flavor of goat cheese pairs perfectly with chocolate. You'll find these unique brownies quite addicting.

Prep Time30

Cook Time50

Total Time1 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Goat Cheese Brownies

Dessert Type: Brownies

Servings:

Author: Elizabeth LaBau

Ingredients

For the Brownies:

8 oz unsalted butter
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate finely chopped
7 oz granulated sugar (1 cup)
3 large eggs at room temperature
4 oz soft goat cheese (chevre) (1/2 cup), at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2.25 oz all-purpose flour (1/2 cup)
1.5 oz unsweetened cocoa powder (1/2 cup)
1/2 tsp salt

For the Goat Cheese Frosting:

3 oz unsalted butter at room temperature
6 oz soft goat cheese (chevre) (3/4 cup), at room temperature
12 oz powdered sugar (3 cups)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

For the Chocolate Glaze:

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate finely chopped
3 oz heavy cream
2 oz unsalted butter

US Standard – Metric

Instructions

To Make the Brownies:

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with foil, and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. (If you want thinner brownies, you can use a 9×9-inch pan. The baking time might need to be shortened.)
Combine the butter and chopped chocolate in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 20-second increments, stirring frequently, until the butter and chocolate have melted and are smooth. Add the granulated sugar and whisk it in. If the chocolate is quite warm, let it cool to room temperature before continuing.
Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. The brownie batter will first look grainy and separated, but as you continue whisking it will come together and get thick and shiny, like pudding. This process may take 1-2 minutes of whisking. After it is smooth and shiny, add the room temperature goat cheese and the vanilla, and whisk them in.
Finally, sift the flour, cocoa, and salt over the bowl, and stir everything together gently with a spatula. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer. Bake the brownies at 325 F for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting them.

To Make the Goat Cheese Frosting:

Combine the butter and goat cheese in a mixing bowl, and mix with a paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt, and beat on low speed until the sugar is mixed in. Raise the speed to medium and beat for another minute, until light and fluffy.
Spread the goat cheese frosting on top of the cooled brownies in an even layer. Chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before adding the glaze on top.

To Make the Chocolate Glaze:

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Combine the cream and butter in a small saucepan, and place the pan over medium heat. Bring the cream to a simmer, with bubbles appearing along the sides of the pan, but don’t bring it to a full boil.
Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let it sit and soften the chocolate for 1 minute. After a minute, whisk the chocolate and cream together until it is smooth and shiny. Pour it over the brownies and smooth it into an even layer. Refrigerate the brownies until the glaze is firm, at least 45 minutes.
To cut the brownies, lift them from the pan using the foil as handles. Use a large sharp knife to cut them into small squares. Wash the knife frequently in warm water between cuts for the cleanest cuts. These brownies are easiest to cut when cold, but for the best taste and texture, let them sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before eating them. If desired, top with a pinch of flaked sea salt just before serving.

Notes

The brownie recipe is adapted from Food Network Canada’s Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies via The Kitchn.

Measuring Tips

Nutrition

Chocolate Mustache Pops

Elizabeth LaBau — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:35:55 +0000

These tasty Chocolate Mustache Pops are a lot of fun, easy to make and a great way to show appreciation to a dad or hero!

So, what’s the consensus on the mustache fad? Are mustache accessories and jokes still funny? Totally over? Tired, but finishing one last lap around the pop culture track? And what about chocolate mustaches? Does the addition of chocolate change the answer at all?

I really, really hope you said that chocolate mustaches are still “in,” because, hey, I made you some cute chocolate mustaches for Father’s Day. Let’s eat, drink, and be mustached.

I posted a recipe for Dude Food Bars earlier this week (if you missed them: bacon, pretzels, chips, caramel, and…go!) but I wanted to leave you with one more fast, easy, and cute Father’s Day idea, in case you’re doing some last-minute hustling.

Not sure what to get the dad or the husband? Want to show appreciation for the awesome men in your life? Mustaches are the answer! Whip up a few chocolate mustaches and make even the youngest gents happy…even if they’re not quite sure what to do with them:

Yeah, you know I made them dress alike for their mustache pictures…love these goofballs

I’ve seen mustache pop molds at stores like Michael’s and JoAnn’s, and that’s definitely one method of making chocolate mustache pops. But I really like making them freehand—it gives you more freedom to make the pops in exactly the size and shape you want, plus it’s easier to top them with sprinkles this way! And who wouldn’t want their chocolate mustaches to be covered with appetizing sprinkle stubble? Five o’clock shadow: it’s what’s for dessert.

I didn’t totally freehand the mustaches, though. I drew a template with several designs first, then put it underneath my work surface and traced the shapes. It’s easier, faster, and requires way less brain power. You can find all sorts of mustache inspiration by searching google images, or if you want to use the hand-drawn template I made, you can download the mustache pdf here.

To make these mustaches, I used tempered dark chocolate, and decorated them with a mix of milk and dark sprinkles. (I actually used some sprinkles I found at Cost Plus called De Ruyter, which the Dutch apparently eat on buttered bread for breakfast. I’ve obviously been doing breakfast wrong my entire life. Anyhow, they’re made with real chocolate and they’re delicious. Highly recommended.) Dutch sprinkles are definitely not required, and neither is tempered chocolate—you can use candy coating as a quick and convenient shortcut.

These chocolate mustache pops were fun to design and make, but even more fun to play with and pose with! Jason and I got into the spirit by hamming it up, while Asher mostly enjoyed trying to eat the chocolate as quickly as possible before I could get a good picture. (What can I say, he’s my son through and through.) It was like a game of cat and mouse, if the cat is wielding a chocolate-smeared camera and the mouse is twenty-five pounds of wriggle and teeth.

I’ve been talking about these in the context of Father’s Day, but they’d be equally good as party favors or shower treats. (In fact, chocolate mustaches were a favor at my own baby shower last year!) They’d also make really fun photo booth props for New Year’s or a birthday party. As the old saying goes, you can’t really go wrong with chocolate in the shape of facial hair.*

*Not really a saying

Full instructions are below, but here’s a quick visual tutorial so you can see how easy the whole process is. Happy mustache-ing!

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5 from 1 vote

Chocolate Mustache Pops

These tasty Chocolate Mustache Pops are a lot of fun, easy to make and a great way to show appreciation to a dad or hero!

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Chocolate pops

Dessert Type: Misc. Desserts

Servings:

Author: Elizabeth LaBau

Ingredients

1 lb semi-sweet chocolate or chocolate candy coating melts
Chocolate thermometer if tempering chocolate
Squeeze bottle
Mustache template link to pdf–optional
Waxed paper
30 lollipop sticks
Chocolate sprinkles optional

US Standard – Metric

Instructions

If you’re using chocolate candy coating, melt it in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring until it’s completely melted and smooth. If you’re tempering the chocolate, remove at least a quarter of the chocolate (about 4 oz) and set it aside—it doesn’t have to be a precise amount. Chop the remaining 3/4 chocolate into small pieces, and place in a microwave-safe bowl.
Microwave the chopped chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring after every 30 seconds. Once melted and smooth, insert the chocolate thermometer and make sure that it has reached a temperature of 115° Fahrenheit (46° C) on the thermometer. If it’s not close to that, heat it in short bursts until it reaches the right temperature.
Add the reserved block of chocolate and stir it in. Continue to stir the chocolate frequently as the block of chocolate melts and the chocolate cools. When it reaches 90° F (32° C), test it to see if it’s in temper. Smear a bit of chocolate onto a piece of parchment. If it starts to set within a few minutes, your chocolate is in temper. If it remains wet-looking and does not set, continue to stir the chocolate and let it cool a few more degrees before testing again. Once tempered, remove any excess unmelted chocolate from the bowl and set aside to use at a later time.
Fill the squeeze bottle with the prepared chocolate. If you’re using a template, put it on your work surface and cover it with a sheet of waxed paper. Using the squeeze bottle, trace around a mustache, then fill it in entirely with chocolate.
Press a lollipop stick firmly into the side of the mustache, but not all the way on the outer tip, since it might be too fragile and breakable. Squeeze more chocolate on top of the stick and over the mustache so it is in a thick, even layer. If desired, scatter chocolate sprinkles on top while the chocolate is still wet.
Gently and carefully shift the waxed paper to the side so that the template is in a different position, and trace another mustache. Repeat with more chocolate, filling the squeeze bottle as necessary, until all of your mustaches are made. If you used melted candy coating or tempered chocolate, those should set nicely at room temperature and can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Pops made from plain melted chocolate should set in the refrigerator and be stored there until ready to serve.

Notes

Candy melts vs tempered chocolate: I recommend using either chocolate candy coating (like Merckens brand, or Wilton candy melts) for this recipe, or tempering real chocolate for these pops. Both of these options will give you shiny, stable chocolate pops. I’ve included brief tempering instructions in the recipe card, but for an in-depth discussion, with pictures, see my post on how to temper chocolate.

Melted chocolate: If you don’t want to temper chocolate and want to simply use melted chocolate or chocolate chips instead, you run the risk of having chocolate that is streaked or too soft at room temperature (especially during the hot summer months). Nobody wants a droopy mustache pop! If you do decide to go the melted chocolate route, keep the pops in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve them.

Measuring Tips

Nutrition

Dude Food Magic Bars

Elizabeth LaBau — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 10:34:07 +0000

This coming Sunday is Father’s Day, to which I say, psssh. In my house we’re celebrating Father’s Week. If you’re not familiar with this made-up custom, Father’s Week is a magical week when Jason gets a new gift every single day leading up to Father’s Day. This sounds super fancy and over-the-top, until I tell you that for his first gift I gave him a loofah.* All you other fathers out there can stop being jealous now.

*In my defense, it was a nice loofah. And seriously, he wanted a new one one. Just ask him.

If you’re a fella who’s not lucky enough to have a new loofah—a nice loofah—or an entire week devoted to giving you presents, let me be the one to give you the greatest gift of all: Dude Food Magic Bars.

Traditional Magic Bars, aka Hello Dolly Bars, aka Seven Layer Bars, are already pretty dude food-y. They’re sweet and gooey and can be made by dumping a bunch of ingredients in a pan and baking it, which I believe is the official Baking Methodology of dudes everywhere. I think Magic Bars are one of the few desserts Jason has ever attempted to make on his own. And maybe he accidentally used rancid nonstick cooking spray, and maybe it took three attempts before they were edible, but dang it—he succeeded. For my baking-challenged husband, that’s a minor miracle.

Instead of the usual Magic Bar suspects (grahams, coconut, walnuts, etc) these bars are packed with the manliest of ingredients. The bottom crust is made with crushed pretzels, then they’re layered with crispy bacon, dark chocolate, peanut butter chips, and crushed potato chips, then finally they’re drenched in salted caramel sauce.

It’s like eating a giant stereotype, and it is awesome.

Now before we go further, I have to say that obviously these are not just for fathers, and they’re not just for menfolk either. I know plenty of women who would love to go to town on a gooey cookie bar packed with salty chips and pretzels, and to them, I say: welcome. Pull up a chair and grab a bib. These bars are equal opportunity deliciousness.

Assembling the bars couldn’t be easier. Once the pretzel crust is packed into the pan, it’s a simple matter of layering all of the ingredients on top of one another, pouring on the caramel sauce, and giving it a quick bake in the oven.

In case you’re looking for a close-up of the caramel-soaked bars, I’ve got you covered:

After he tasted them, Jason suggested I top the finished bars with a pinch of crumbled potato chips. The other chips, the ones that are baked into the bars, become caramelized and lose their heavy crunch, so sprinkling the bars with fresh chips before serving is like the trashy equivalent of giving your dessert a pinch of fleur de sel—the salt and the crunch really make the flavors in the bars pop.

And of course, of course you can customize these with your favorite ingredients. Any sort of nuts would be a great addition. Maybe some chopped candy bars? Your favorite cookies? A dash of cayenne, for heat, or a splash of alcohol in the caramel? Bring it on. Father’s Week isn’t just about nice loofahs and Hallmark cards with jokes about duct tape, you know. It’s also about cramming all of your favorite junk foods into one incredible bar.

The final bars are a riot of opposites: sweet and salty, gooey and crunchy, all kinds of complex flavors made from guilty pleasure ingredients. One thing they’re not is photogenic, but hey: It’s dude food. It doesn’t have to look pretty, it just has to taste awesome. High five.

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5 from 3 votes

Dude Food Magic Bars

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Dude Food Magic Bars

Dessert Type: Misc. Desserts

Servings:

Author: Elizabeth LaBau

Ingredients

8 strips bacon see Note below
5 oz small pretzel twists (about 4 cups, measured before they are crumbs)
4 oz unsalted butter melted
3 TBSP granulated sugar
6 oz dark chocolate chips (1 cup)
6 oz peanut butter chips (1 cup)
3.75 oz ruffled potato chips (1 cup), crushed from about 2 cups uncrushed chips
14 oz thick salted caramel sauce (1 ¼ cup), store-bought or homemade, see Note below

US Standard – Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350* F. Line a 9×9-inch pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
Fry the bacon until it is crisp, turning often so it cooks evenly. Once crispy, remove the bacon from the pan and place it on a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Once cool, chop into small pieces.
Put the pretzels in a food processor and process them until they are fine crumbs. Combine the pretzel crumbs, melted butter, and sugar in a bowl and toss until the pretzels are moistening and the mixture has the texture of wet sand. Press it onto the bottom of the foil-lined pan in an even layer.
Sprinkle the chopped bacon on top of the pretzels in an even layer, then add the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and crushed potato chips. Pour the salted caramel sauce evenly over the entire pan.
Bake the bars at 350 for 26-30 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling on the sides. If they are not bubbling initially, keep cooking them until you see bubbles appearing around the edges of the pan.
Let them cool on a wire rack for several hours, until they’re room temperature. To serve, lift the bars from the pan using the foil as handles, and cut into small squares. (They are easiest to cut when they are cold, but they taste best at room temperature.) If desired, sprinkle with a pinch of crushed potato chips just before serving.

Notes

Bacon: If you’re worried you might not like the flavor of bacon in a dessert, consider cutting the bacon amount by a third or even half. I’m not a bacon eater and I thought the flavor was pretty pronounced. On the other hand, Jason thought the bars were perfect, and he is a bacon appreciator but not a fanatic (he doesn’t even like it on his hamburgers).

Caramel: Regarding the caramel, I used Trader Joe’s salted caramel sauce for this recipe (if you use TJ’s brand, note that it requires more than one jar), but you can make your own, use another high-quality brand, or substitute dulce de leche sauce instead. Just make sure that the sauce has a free-flowing texture, similar to sweetened condensed milk. Speaking of which, sweetened condensed milk is actually a great substitute if you can’t find caramel sauce or dulce de leche.

Measuring Tips

Nutrition

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Ingredients

For the Golf Ball Truffles:

For the Brownies:

For the Buttercream:

Instructions

To Make the Golf Ball Truffles:

To Make the Brownies:

To Make the Buttercream:

To Assemble:

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Notes

Measuring Tips

Nutrition

Tuxedo Brownies

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Ingredients

For the Brownies:

For the White Chocolate Frosting:

For the Chocolate Glaze:

Instructions

To Make the Brownies:

To Make the White Chocolate Frosting:

To Make the Chocolate Glaze and Assemble:

Notes

Measuring Tips

Nutrition

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For the Maple Glaze:

Toppings (Optional):

Instructions

To Make the Doughnuts:

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Goat Cheese Brownies

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Ingredients

For the Brownies:

For the Goat Cheese Frosting:

For the Chocolate Glaze:

Instructions

To Make the Brownies:

To Make the Goat Cheese Frosting:

To Make the Chocolate Glaze:

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