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Our Favorite Dessert Recipes

partysugar — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:50:18 -0800

While the holidays are certainly a great time to create decadent, show-stopping desserts, we here at YumSugar like to provide you with amazing-looking desserts all year long. From cupcakes to custards, I've rounded up our favorite dessert recipes from 2009. Be inspired now!

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Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Blondies. Enough Said.

partysugar — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:00:51 -0700

When I saw this recipe on the last page of October's Everyday Food magazine, I knew, instantly, that I had to make it. Reese's Pieces are my favorite Halloween candy and the thought of their crunchy shell and peanut butter filling in combination with brown-sugar blondies was too good to be true.

Unfortunately, the day I planned on making them, I couldn't find Reese's Pieces anywhere and didn't have time to run to another grocery store. Thus, I grabbed the next best thing: Reese's peanut butter cups. The resulting blondies weren't as festive as the original, but they sure were scrumptious! To check out the super easy recipe that can be topped with your preferred Halloween chocolate, read more.

Halloween Blondies
From Everyday Food

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus more, room temperature, for pan
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/4 cup each orange, yellow, and brown candy-coated chocolates (from a 12.6-ounce bag) or 8 Reese's peanut butter cups, removed from their wrappers and corasely chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Brush an 8-inch square baking pan with butter; line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Butter paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together butter and sugars until smooth. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and salt; stir just until moistened. Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth top. Arrange candies or chopped peanut butter cups in 12 rows (2 rows per color, repeating once) on top of dough.
Bake until top of cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Set pan on a wire rack and let cool completely. Using parchment overhang, lift cake from pan and transfer to a cutting board; cut into 16 squares. To store, keep in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 2 days.

Makes 16.

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Have More Fun With Blondies

YumSugar — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:15:27 -0700

Not too long ago, I organized a trip to Hog Island Oyster Farm, where I enjoyed an idyllic picnic with seven dear friends. I had a good idea of what dishes to bring, but I was hung up on dessert, until a co-worker suggested blondies. "They're so much better than brownies!" she exclaimed.

I heeded her advice and found a crowd-pleasing blondie recipe that has something for everyone: a sweet, chewy center, chunks of chocolate chips, and crunchy almond slivers scattered on top. They were so comforting that I couldn't stop eating them - so I had to give the rest away! Read on for the perfect portable dessert.

Time to Go Blonde

YumSugar — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:00:57 -0700

Recently my pal Julie and I got into a debate over which was better: blondies or brownies. In my opinion, nothing can trump a good brownie, but she doesn't agree. After our conversation I realized that even with all of my baking, I was guilty of blondie-discrimination. I've never actually made blondies! When Julie told me she was coming to town, I knew I had to whip her up a homemade treat and give blondies a fair chance. Were they better than brownies? Not really, but they were mighty tasty and I'll be making them again. To get the "Platinum Blondie" recipe I used, read more.

Platinum Blondies
From Al Roker

Ingredients

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped, or 3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Directions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Lightly butter an 8-inch square baking pan with sides at least 1 1/2 inches high. [Note: I used a parchment paper sling in addition to butter. This helped lift the blondies out of the pan later.]
Using an electric mixer or mixing by hand, beat together the sugar and egg until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add the vanilla and butter and beat to mix well. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt and add to the butter mixture, beating until just incorporated. Do not overmix.
Using a spoon, stir in the pecans and white chocolate. [I skipped out on the pecans, and wish I had used more white chocolate.]
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and use a flat metal spatula or a butter knife to smooth the top. [Note: The batter is going to be very thick, but this is okay.]
Bake the blondies for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is dry and golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached (not wet, but not perfectly dry).
Remove the pan from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
Cut the blondies into 2-inch squares.
The blondies can be stored, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to 3 days (these seem to get better as they sit) or frozen for up to 2 months (thaw before serving).

Makes 16 brownies.

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Milk, It Does an Appetite Good

YumSugar — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 09:01:31 -0800

In Los Angeles' sea of frozen yogurt, one place dares to offer real ice cream. Milk on Beverly Blvd, is an ice cream parlor/sandwich shop/bakeshop that holds nothing back when it comes to flavor and taste.

Recently, on a trip to LA, my brother and I hit up Milk to try out some of their tasty treats. It was lunch time, but their ice cream parlor menu - check out a pic of it below - was much more captivating, so we skipped straight to dessert. To read about what we ate, read more.

We were hoping to pig out on everything, but we ended up deciding on one treat each. I went for the Milkie Way Malt and my brother ordered the Blondie Sundae. The blondie was absolutely moist and delicious - which surprised me because I am actually not a very big blondie fan - and it went well with the vanilla ice cream, butterscotch and bits of pecan praline. Each bite was rich and decadent, and I liked how the pecans gave it a unique texture.

While it was difficult to pull myself away from the sundae, I knew that the malt wouldn't let me down. The main base was vanilla ice cream blended with malted milk chocolate chips, which was then topped by swirls of caramel and chocolate and then topped with whip cream and malt balls. The flavors paired well together, but it was actually almost too rich and sweet. I definitely wished I had something savory to offset the sweetness. Yet, that didn't stop me from drinking the whole thing, after all, Milk's homemade ice cream was too good to leave any behind.

Have you guys ever been to Milk? If not, I recommend looking it up if you're ever in the Los Angeles area. But if you fall into a sugar-coma afterwards, don't say I didn't warn you.

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Would You Rather Eat a Brownie Or a Blondie?

partysugar — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 04:31:39 -0800

Source

Reader Recipe: Hazelnut Blondies

YumSugar — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:31:31 -0800

Yesterday, I posted a link for hazelnut blondies, they looked great and were especially timely because today is World Nutella Day. It seems that I was not the only one who thought they looked good. Less than 24 hours later, TeamSugar member Twinkle, took the recipe and made it her own. If you like what you see then hurry up and act now! There's still a few hours left in World Nutella Day!

To see the recipe, read more.

Hazelnut Blondies
From TeamSugar member Twinkle

Yum posted a link to this fabulous recipe for Hazelnut Blondies yesterday and I jumped at the opportunity to bake something using my beloved Nutella and my Homemade Vanilla Extract :shamelesspimping:

The original recipe comes from Martha Stewart Living and goes a little something like this . . .

Ingredients

Makes about 2 dozen

* 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 tsp. baking powder
* 1 tsp. salt
* 1 3/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
* 1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skins rubbed off with a kitchen towel, and chopped
* 1 heaping tbsp. chocolate-hazelnut spread, such as Nutella, plus more for serving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter an 8-by-11-inch baking pan. Line with parchment paper. Butter parchment.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Melt butter. Beat butter and sugar until combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture, and stir until combined. Stir in hazelnuts and Nutella.
4. Press dough into pan. Bake until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs, about 25 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes. Cut into squares. Serve with additional Nutella. Blondies can be stored in an airtight container up to 2 days.

The hardest thing about this amazingly simple recipe was not setting off the smoke detector whilst toasting the hazelnuts.

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Yummy Link: Hazelnut Blondies

YumSugar — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:15:31 -0800

World Nutella Day is right around the corner, so start celebrating now by baking up a batch of these simple hazelnut blondies. - Bake or Break

Madonna Meets Blondie in Musical Version of Desperately Seeking Susan

BuzzSugar — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 11:29:34 -0700

I used to have a theory that girls who grew up in the '80s identified with either the punk style of Blondie's Debbie Harry or the slick sexiness of Madonna. Now, the two are colliding in an intriguing way: Madonna's 1985 comedy Desperately Seeking Susan is being made into a musical featuring the songs of Blondie. The project is set to premiere this fall in London.

No, Madonna won't be a part of it (an actress named Emma Williams will play the role of Susan, while Kelly Price will take on Rosanna Arquette's character, Roberta) - but Debbie Harry will be all over it. According to Playbill, "One Way or Another" and "The Tide is High" will be among the Blondie songs woven into the show, and Harry is writing a new song for the production.

Until I reread the plot summary, I didn't realize Roberta's last name was Glass - so I guess that explains how "Heart of Glass" will fit in. In case you've forgotten how the movie goes, here's Playbill's summary:

Roberta Glass, a suburban New Jersey housewife, escapes her humdrum life by reading the personal ads placed by Susan, a street-smart New York City drifter, and her freewheeling boyfriend Jay. Through a quirky twist of fate, Roberta and Susan unexpectedly swap lives and are plunged into a madcap world of jewel heists, magic shows and rock 'n' roll.

A musical theater version of this story certainly has the potential to be awful, but it's such a weird concept that I think it could turn out awesome. What do you think?

Desperately Seeking Susan photo Source
Debbie Harry photo Source

FABTV: Blondie "Rapture"

FabSugar — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 05:22:22 -0700

Kate's peroxided blonde hair got me thinking about Debbie Harry, and how fresh she is. If you want to know more about her, read all about it, but I wanted to share my favorite music video of hers. Let's start with her sassy little outfit - black sequined strapless top, high waisted shorts, a sash tied around her waist and black heels - so chic 2007 now and so chic 80s then. Harry piled on clothes and accessories a lot of the time but in this video she exercised restraint, and it did her body good. The video itself is dreamy and random, as she visits and dances with various peeps in different urban settings. The best part though is her rap. Not many white girls have rapped successfully, especially about a man from Mars who eats cars and bars where the people meet! Too funny. Leave it to Harry to pull it off, she is just enrapturing.

Sit back, relax and enjoy the FABTV.