Salted Caramel "Ding Dong" Cake

Life just gets away from you sometimes. Things have just been so busy and unfortunately that meant that I didn't even post once in March. I've still been cooking and baking plenty but the drive to photograph and write up anything just wasn't there.

Four Layer Gourmet Caramel Apples

My wife would like 100% of the credit for this creation. And for something this amazing, she deserves it. This isn't exactly a recipe I'll be sharing with you but it's a fun treat that you can create with the kids help and it makes a great gift for the upcoming holidays!

Four layers you ask? Absolutely. Caramel, Butterfinger, Chocolate and Candied Peanuts. When she first described what she wanted to make, I thought  she was a bit crazy, and I honestly didn't think it would be as good as she was imagining that it would be. Butterfinger layer is one thing but then adding peanuts on the outside? I thought it might just be too much. And maybe it is, but it was pretty amazing.

Banana Cream Pie with Salted Caramel

Had enough of this healthy streak? I felt like I needed to show that I wasn't eating just healthy food now and it was the Super Bowl game last week so I wanted to make a fun dessert. I've always been a fan of cream pies but they're always pretty simple and one dimensional.

This Banana cream pie defies all that I had previously thought. The homemade vanilla pastry cream is rich and smooth and the shortbread crust is divine. The ground peanuts are baked right into the crust and are the perfect compliment to the fresh bananas layered between the pastry cream.  Then to top it all off, literally, a salted caramel sauce is drizzled over the top. It's fresh and complex and could easily be eaten in one sitting.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Spicy Caramel Apple Sauce and Vanilla Bean Creme Anglaise

Well this is going to be my final post in my Thanksgiving prep series and you are in for a treat! I am now working with a great group of food bloggers called "Virtual Potluck". We came together after working together on the Emeril Lagasse book review and we've got some great things in store. Today we are throwing a Thanksgiving Potluck and you're all invited!

Caramel Pumpkin Pie

This is the second in my Thanksgiving prep series, providing you some fun new recipes for the upcoming holidays. Today, we're going straight from soup course all the way to dessert. Hey, I never said I was going to go in order.

Pumpkin Pi

I love pumpkin pie, although it usually is best with equal amounts of fresh whipped cream. Most traditional pumpkin pie recipes are made with a mixture of spices and evaporated milk. In this version, sugar and water are cooked together until it becomes a deep amber color and is then mixed with cream to make a smooth creamy caramel. The caramel is then mixed with spices and pumpkin puree and cooked together in the crust of your choice. It's not dramatically different from your traditional pie, but I absolutely love the hints of caramel throughout the pie.