Last march, I shared a recipe for Tres Leches Cake with Strawberries and Caramel Sauce. I decided to see if it would be possible to turn this recipe into cupcakes. It turned out pretty amazing, if I do say so myself...

The inspiration for this AMAZING dessert came from Tarte au Chocolat noir et Caramel on Mon petit bistrot, a French blog. I simplified the original recipe and added a cheesecake top to soften the decadence. I also added coarse salt to the caramel layer, again to balance the flavor.

Tres Leches Cake is definitely a dessert that you should not judge just by looking. Twice I have taken this to pot lucks only to find it hardly touched, because on the surface, it looks like your basic white cake and who would choose that over the delicious brownies next door? However, beyond this mask is a decadently, moist and sumptuous cake that needs no ice cream to be delightful. In all honesty, this cake is more like pudding. Give it a try and tell me what you think!

In essence, Tres Leches Cake is a sponge cake that is soaked in three milks; sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and heavy cream. I took it a step further and added caramel sauce to the soak just to liven up the flavor a bit. I also bumped up the cinnamon in the sponge cake to hint of horchata. 

Cake Ingredients:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup Whole Milk
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
4 Large Eggs
2 cups Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Milk Mixture Ingredients:
1 (14 ounce) Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 tablespoons Caramel Sauce*
1 (12 ounce) Can Evaporated Milk
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Frosting Ingredients:
1 cup Heavy Cream
3 tablespoons Corn Syrup
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3/4 to 1 cup Caramel Sauce**
2 pints Fresh Strawberries, hulled and sliced

Directions:
Center a rack in the oven, then preheat to 325F. Grease and flour a 9" x 13" pan.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and milk together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

In a large bowl with a hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs on medium speed for 30 seconds, then slowly incorporate sugar and beat until thick and glossy, 5 - 7 minutes. Reduce speed to low and gradually stir in the melted butter mixture and vanilla. Continuing on low or switching to a rubber spatula, incorporate the flour combination in 3 batches. Once fully incorporated, scrap the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until slightly browned and a toothpick entered into the center comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes.

While the cake is baking, combine the sweetened condensed milk and caramel sauce in a small saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring until combined. In a medium bowl, stir together the caramel sauce mixture with evaporated milk, heavy cream and vanilla. Set aside until cake is ready.

After 10 minutes of cooling time, poke holes in the top of the cake with a skewer at 1/2" intervals, trying not to puncture the bottom of the cake. Slowly pour the milk mixture over the cake, then let stand for 15 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Remove the cake from the fridge 30 minutes before frosting the cake. To make the frosting, in a medium bowl, beat the heavy cream, corn syrup and vanilla on medium speed with a hand mixer until soft peaks form, 1 - 2 minutes. Spread over cake. Drizzle about 2/3 of the caramel sauce over the cake, then arrange the sliced strawberries and drizzle the rest of the caramel sauce over the strawberries. Cut cake into 3" slices. Cake can be kept for up to 3 days refrigerated in an air tight container.

*I used the ice cream topping caramel sauce, however, you could melt 4-5 caramels instead.
** If using caramels or a thicker sauce, you may want to melt it a bit and mix in some milk to thin the sauce out. Let the sauce come to room temperature before drizzling over the cake.

This recipe was adapted from Cook's Country.

Are you sick of caramel yet? Good, me neither. So, here is a delightful recipe for Caramel Apple Cider Cookies. I adapted it from one that I found over at Scrambled Henfruit. The major change I made was to take half of the caramel out of the cookie and drizzle it over the top. I really wanted to get caramel in every bite and found that drizzling half of it did the trick. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
8 packets of Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink Mix, NOT SUGAR FREE (there are 10 packets in each box, but that is a bit overwhelming)
1 cup Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 (12 oz) bag Caramel Bits (or 14 oz bag of regular Caramels, unwrapped and cut in half)
1 1/2 teaspoons whole milk or cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line at two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. If you use a substitute, keep in mind that the caramel may leak out and get very stuck.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer, if you are so blessed to have one, sigh...) and, using a hand mixer, beat together drink mix powder, sugar, salt and butter until fluffy. (I always get a cloud of the drink mix at this point, which isn't a big deal, just letting you know). Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla.

Using a rubber spatula (or turn your stand mixer to low) incorporate your flour mixture into your butter batter. Stir until all traces of flour have disappeared. You should have a dough that is crumbly, but sticks together when you pinch it. If dough is fairly sticky and difficult to handle, place in the fridge for about 1/2 hour or so.

Spoon out a walnut sized amount of dough and flatten in your palm. Place 5 - 6 caramel bits (or half a caramel) in the middle. Fold the dough over the caramels to cover completely and roll into a ball. Place on prepared cookie sheets about 2" apart. 

Bake in preheated oven for 12 - 14 minutes. Cookies will be slightly browned around the edges. (It is better to err on the under-cooked side with these). Carefully slide the parchment with the cookies onto cooling racks and allow the cookies to set up for about 5 - 10 minutes, then gently twist and pull each cookie off the parchment and onto the cooling rack. (If you waited too long and the cookie sticks to the parchment, place in the freezer for a few minutes and try again). If caramel has leaked out the bottom, turn the cookie upside down to finish cooling.

You should have about half of the bag of caramel remaining after all of the cookies. In a small saucepan over medium low heat, combine the remaining caramels with milk. Stir occasionally until the caramels melt completely, taking care not to cook for too long. Place the cookies back on the parchment and drizzle them with the caramel. Let cool and enjoy!

*Recipe adapted from Scrambled Henfruit

So, apparently, my favorite sweet combination this year is caramel and white chocolate... I just can't help myself! These two flavors compliment each other so nicely!  Anyway, today, I bring you a heavenly recipe that includes both white chocolate and caramel, as well as butter and pecans. While perusing Pinterest, I stumbled upon Salted Caramel Butter Bars by the Recipe Critic (which is a delightful recipe), however, I had some white chocolate chips and crushed pecans left over from another recipe and thought, "why not throw them into the mix?" Seriously, if you want to wow your Christmas guests or perhaps your neighbors at a cookie exchange, bring these AMAZING bars!

Ingredients:
2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/4 cup Pecan Halves
1 cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, Softened
3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 cup Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla
1 cup White Chocolate Chips
1 cup Caramel Bits or unwrapped Caramels (about 20)
1/4 cup Whole Milk
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
1 teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8" x 8" pan with parchment paper or greased tin foil.

In a small bowl, combine flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

Place pecans in a ziplock bag and pound with a mallet or a rolling pin until all nuts are crushed. You want tiny bits, but nothing to really chew. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and crushed pecans for about 3 minutes on medium. Add in both sugars and combine until fluffy. Stir in vanilla and mix until just combined. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture until there are only streaks of flour. Your dough will be crumbly, but will stick together when pinched. Mix in the white chocolate chips. Put about 1/2 cup of the dough in a small air tight container and place in the fridge. Press the remaining dough into the pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Melt the caramels, milk, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla in the microwave for 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Pour caramel over the crust, spreading it out in an even layer. Sprinkle salt over caramel. Pull the dough from the fridge and crumble the dough over the top of the caramel layer.

Return to the oven for 25 - 30 minutes. The filling should be bubbly and the top firm and slightly golden. Cool the bars completely in the pan before cutting into 16 equal bars.

With some of the left over ingredients, you could make my Pear Surprise Mini Pies or Caramel Apple Tartlets.

Last week, I made some really yummy veggie potstickers I found over at the Food Network, which used wonton wrappers (as most pot sticker recipes do). The problem with any recipe that involves wonton wrappers is that you rarely use all of the wrappers that come in the package. I hate to waste anything, so I went in search for a recipe to use up these little squares of dough. There are TONS of ideas out there; everything from lasagna cupcakes (very good) to deep fried pillows (sounds amazing!) to just simply buttering and sprinkling with cinnamon and sugar then baking. While many of the ideas sounded enticing, I kept thinking about a pear I didn't want to go bad as well as some leftover white chocolate (from the cake pops a few weeks ago) and some crushed pecans (also a left over). This brought to mind my Caramel Apple Tartlets from a year ago and with all of that in mind, I came up with the following recipe. Let me just tell you, I ate about 3/4 of them without even thinking they are so good!

Ingredients:
24 Wonton Wrappers
1 Pear, diced (I didn't peel it, but you can)
1/2 cup White Chocolate Chips
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
dash of Ginger
1/4 cup crushed Pecans
12 Caramels, unwrapped and cut into 4 pieces each (48 pieces)
Spray Oil
Coarse Sea Salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin with spray oil.
Press 1 wrapper into each cup. Divide pear and white chocolate chips into each cup evenly. Combine sugar, cinnamon and ginger in a small bowl. Sprinkle half of the sugar mixture over the pears and chocolate. Press another wrapper into each cup. Put 4 pieces of caramel in each cup. Sprinkle with the pecans and remaining sugar mixture. Spray with oil. Sprinkle VERY LIGHTLY with salt (between 3-5 crystals per cup)
Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are browned and crispy. 

The only change I might make the next time I make these is to leave the caramel out and melt it instead, then, once baked, top each cup with a scoop of ice cream and drizzle with the caramel. Mmmmmmmm.....

So, do share, what have you made with wonton wrappers?

In an effort to cut back on costs, I tried making my own granola bars, but they really weren't that great. For the recipe, I bought a bag of puffed wheat. Unfortunately, the puffed wheat sat in my cupboard for at least a month without being eaten. A couple Sundays ago I decided it was time to do something with this neglected cereal. Here is the recipe I made, which was adapted from a recipe I found at The Mother Huddle.

Ingredients:
8 oz bag Puffed wheat
1/2 cup Butter
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Light Corn Syrup
1 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
12 oz bag Milk Chocolate Chips

Directions:
Grease a 9" x 13" pan. Pour puffed wheat into a large bowl and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat, but do not let boil. Add sugar and corn syrup, then turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Add sweetened condensed milk and return to a boil. Then, reduce heat to medium and, stirring constantly, cook to 240⁰ (soft ball stage), which takes about 10-15 minutes.

Pour caramel mixture over puffed wheat and mix thoroughly. Gently press into greased pan with the back of a wooden spoon.

In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate chips. Sporadically drop dollops of the melted chocolate on top of the caramel puffs, then spread into a semi even layer and let cool.

Once both layers are room temperature, cut into 16 rectangles. Store in an air tight container for up to a week.

Last Saturday morning, I hosted a play group. I wanted to make something great, but semi easy. That is when I came up with these amazingly delicious, perfectly savory and sweet little pastries. The inspiration is really from a carmel apple my sister in law shared with us. Anyway, below is the recipe. You will want to make extras because it is IMPOSSIBLE to eat only one.

Ingredients:
Puff Pastry (thawed according to directions)
1/2 package of Caramels (unwrapped)
1/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Corse Sea Salt
8 medium Golden Delicious Apples
Heavy Whipping Cream to brush onto pastries
1/4 cup Sugar
1 Tbspn Cinnamon
1/4 cup White Chocolate Chips
1/2 Tbspn Butter
1 Tbspn Heavy Whipping Cream

Center rack in oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Roll out one of the puff pastry sheets to a 16"x12" rectangle. Starting at the longer end, roll the dough. using dental floss or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 2" logs. Using your palm, push the dough into small discs. Roll the discs into 4"-5" diameter circles. If the dough is too springy, put in the fridge and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Place the discs on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet 2" apart. Repeat with the second puff pastry sheet. Put pastries into fridge and let the dough rest while you make the carmel sauce and prepare the apples.

In a small sauce pan, combine the unwrapped caramels and the whipping cream. Stir occasionally until melted.

While the sauce is melting, peel each apple. Cut the apples in half perpendicular to the core. Use an apple slicer to core and slice the apples.

Remove dough from fridge. Place about a tablespoon of the caramel sauce in the center of each disc. Sprinkle a few pieces of the sea salt in the middle (Go easy, less is more). Pick up each half apple and place on the caramel, pushing it into the caramel. Brush rim of dough with cream. In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon and sugar, then generously sprinkle over the pastries.

Bake for 20 minutes or until pastry is golden and apples are soft.

Place white chocolate and butter in a small bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, stirring every 10 seconds. Repeat if needed until melted. Add remaining tablespoon of cream. Add more cream if needed to get a runny consistency. Drizzle over warm pastries.