The Farm Chicks

Chocolate Raspberry Creamcakes

You're probably beginning to notice my love affair with all things mini. I admit it. I'm Serena and I love all mini treats.

I made these creamcakes because I wanted to make something delicious with what I had on hand. These cakes are chocolately, creamy, and perfectly sweetened with raspberry. But best of all, they're really simple and a modern adaptation of the cakes my sister would make me as a child, all covered in jam.

Chocolate Raspberry Creamcakes

1 package Thin Chocolate Cookie Wafers (such as Nabisco)

8 ounces Mascarpone*

1/4 cup Raspberry Jam (I recommend Smuckers Simply Fruit)

3 tablespoons Milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Raspberry Jam for drizzling and frosting

Whip mascarpone, jam, milk, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy and completely combined. Pipe or spread the whipped mixture onto the top of 5 cookie wafers. Stack wafers atop each other to form the little cakes. (Drizzle extra jam between layers, if desired). Frost the top of the little cake with the mascarpone mixture or jam, or both. Continue assembling the cakes, one at a time. Place the cakes onto a tray, wrap each one with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least five hours or overnight. Serve cold.

*You can substitute cream cheese for the mascarpone. If you do, make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature, as it won't blend well when cold).

Recipe makes 6 cakes.

What Can You Do With...

... candy hearts???

Skewer them:

Top them:

Hang them:

Give them:

Cookie Flags!

A few months back, I was inspired by Herriot Grace's Cookie Flags and knew I'd like to make my own variation for Valentine's Day.

I started by making a batch of my favorite cookie dough for these sorts of things. (It's important to use a recipe that won't rise and become puffy).

I rolled out the dough and cut out the flag shapes for the project. (Just freehand, with a small, sharp knife).

I transferred the dough to a parchment lined baking sheet and inserted little wooden toothpicks for the flags (about 3/4" of the toothpick).

I embellished some using some dough letter stamps and big heart sprinkles, just by pressing into the unbaked dough, and then baked them up.

 

 

Then I decided it'd be fun to sugar glaze some of them and add a few sprinkle dots, for good measure.

 

 

A soft pink sugar glaze is great too.

 

 

I kept some unglazed, because sometimes simple is just enough.

And then, well, it was really simple. I poked them into my little cakes.

But they're just as fun to package up as treats for the ones you love. Or better yet, just gobble them up. Because Cookie Flags bring happiness to all.

 

Cookie Flags Dough

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup confectioner's (powdered) sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream the butter in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and vanilla, beating until well combined. Beat in the flour, just until combined. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Flour your work surface and roll out your refrigerated dough to about 1/4" thickness. Using a sharp knife, cut out the shapes of your little flags. (As shown above). Once you've cut out all your flags, transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. (The best way to do this is with a spatula). Repeat with the remaining dough scraps, until all the dough is used up. Insert toothpicks into the flags as described above, and adorn, if desired, as described above.

Refrigerate the Cookie Flags, on the baking sheet, for 15 minutes. While the flags are being refrigerated, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bake the Cookie Flags for 12-15 minutes. Cool on pan. Once completely cooled, the flags are ready to glaze or use as is.

Cookie Flags Glaze

• Confectioners (powdered) sugar
• Milk

Add milk, just a wee bit at a time, until the glaze reaches your desired consistency. Add a drop of food coloring, if you'd like. Mix together with a spoon, until thoroughly combined and then glaze to your little heart's content.

Sources:

Mini Bundt Cake Pan: Target

Letter Stamps: William Sonoma

Big Crunchy Heart Sprinkles: Wilton

Mixing Bowl: Fishs Eddy

Mini Box of Donuts

I love each holiday, when the stores start stocking lots of different candies. Whenever I'm browsing the aisles, my mind is churning, thinking about what I can create. And more times than not, I dream in miniature. I'm not sure why, but mini is so darned cute, isn't it? This year, I dreamed up these teeny tiny donuts - perfect for Valentine treats.

To start, I whipped up a tiny bowl of icing. Just a wee bit of confectioner's (powdered sugar) and enough water to make it a nice consistency for dipping and glazing. And a bunch of Lifesavers candies.

Oh, and some sprinkles too.

All you need to do is dip the top of each Lifesaver into the icing and add a pinch of sprinkles.

A little..

..or a lot.

You can use teeny tiny heart sprinkles too.

I think the reds look like red velvet cake donuts. Let's pretend they are.

Oh! Look. Two lil' donuts sittin' in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G....

hee hee.

Then we need to box them up. Just like a teeny tiny bakery would. What kind would you like? The little sprinkleys?

Or the variety pack?

Then we just slip on the little bakery box cover. And they're all ready for delivery. (Make sure the icing is completely dry before packaging).

 

Note: These would make fun little birthday party favors or April Fools treats too!

Sources:

• Lifesavers Candies in Valentines colors: Target (These come in bags of individually wrapped candies).
• Sprinkles: Bake It Pretty
• Match box favor boxes: Martha Stewart Crafts
• Tiny pink bowl and little metal spoon: Fishs Eddy

Alternate Sources: Websites such as Etsy and Oriental Trading Company offer selections of blank match boxes as well.

Back-up Plan: Little treat bags would work great for packaging too.

Click here for more Valentines ideas, Farm Chicks Style! xo

Sprinkle Toppers

Aren't big sprinkles adorable? The only problem is they're so hard to find. And then they're CRUNCHY, which isn't very enjoyable when you're taking a bite of a soft, fluffy cupcake, right? So, I've taken to making them myself. You can make different shapes, but today I really want to show you hearts. (Another phase of mine... Note the My Favorite Find logo, and this year's FC Show poster... :)) Love love love. It's what it's all about! hee hee

So anyway, they're really simple. Simply take a handful of candy melts in your desired color and heat for about 30(+/-) seconds in the microwave to melt:

Stir the melts until all smooth. Transfer mixture into the corner of a large ziploc bag and cut the tip off:

Line a tray with wax paper. Carefully squeeze out heart shapes, one side at a time. Squeeze briefly from the top, angling the heart side to the center, then pulling the shape, without squeezing any more out. Sort of just dragging what you've already squeezed:

  

Ohhh. So cute! And SOFT, so they won't break your teeth. Hooray!

Make as many as you like. zip. zap. zoom. And you're done! Then, top your favorite treats. Like cookies, sundaes, or cupcakes.

Just one.

Or lots. Why not? We're equal opportunity sprinklers!

.... and with a few sprinkles, she'll change the world.

Love & Treats

Happy Valentine's Day, friend.

Today I'm wishing you lots of love and pocketfuls of treats.

Love,

me

Brownie Bites

I've been creating more sweet treats for Valentines Day. Sweets make me happy.

To begin, bake up your favorite brownie recipe. They should be a little on the dense side (you can do this by adding 1/4-1/2 cup of extra flour to your batch of brownie batter). Once cooled, cut into little cubes, about 1"x1":

Prepare a chocolate coating by combining 1 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk) and 1 teaspoon butter in a cereal bowl and heat at 30 second intervals in the microwave, stirring each time until melted and smooth.

Place cubes, one by one, on a candy dipping tool or a fork. Place over the bowl of melted chocolate and spoon chocolate over the top of the cube. Then lightly tap tap tap the neck of the dipping tool (or fork) on the edge of the bowl until the chocolate has coated the cube, and the excess has gone back into the bowl. Next, set little brownie bite on parchment or foil and insert a lollipop stick. Then sprinkle:

  
  

You can do a little or a lot. Do more sprinkles mean more love?

 

Once the chocolate has set, it's time to wrap the little bites all up. All you need is some food safe tissue or parchment and some string or baker's twine. Simply cut the tissue into squares big enough to cover each bite (I cut my tissue squares 6.5"x6.5"). Then wrap and tie.

       

For a thoughtful gift, box them up for someone you love.

* Or * give one (or five) to yourself!

Sources:

The candy dipping tool, sprinkles and lollipop sticks came from Carolyn's. (They ship nationwide).

The food-safe tissue is from The Container Store.

The pink box came from Bake it Pretty.

 

Mini Donut Cupcakes

What's cuter than cupcakes? Donut Cupcakes!

It all started at Carolyn's when I spotted this most darling little pan:

Wouldn't these make the most special little Valentine or anytime treats?!, I thought. So, I whipped up a batch of my favorite mini cupcake batter and baked them up in my new pan.

Next, I prepared the perfect Cupcake Glaze:

Cupcake Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

6-7 tablespoons cream

1 drop food coloring

Whisk together until smooth. If necessary, add more cream to reach desired consistency.  Then it was just dip and sprinkle, dip and sprinkle:

Donut Cupcakes are F-U-N! ...

  

Donut Cupcakes are *Sweet*... Donut Cupcakes are the perfect Valentine treat!

But what if you don't have a little donut pan? It's Mini Cupcakes to the rescue!

And *good news* ... they're just as tasty!

Sources:

I bought my donut pan at Carolyn's in Spokane.  A sweet little mom and pop shop. Carolyn's does ship, so if you want a pan for yourself, you can call Carolyn's and they'll take your order. And then you're supporting mom and pop.  And nothing can be better than that.  Carolyns: 509-489-3631

The cupcake recipe is from Country Living.  Click here for the recipe.

Donut Bites with Jam & Cream

The first time Colin and I visited Dahlia Lounge in Seattle, I fell in love with their donuts, made fresh to order. Quite possibly one of the best desserts of my life.  Just recently I decided I'd like to try and make my own version, to see if I could duplicate the magic. The results are what I deem to be the lightest, airiest, most scrumptious little pillow bites of happiness.  And better yet, the boys agree.  I dare you to try and eat just one.

I've learned that for the airiest donuts, you must start with a yeast dough, rather than a cake dough. And although I have an aversion to recipes that take a while, I make an exception for anything in the bread family.  I've created this recipe for bread machines, but have provided an alternate process below, just in case you don't have a bread machine.

Donut Bites

1 cup lukewarm milk

3 eggs

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 cups cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast

Add ingredients into the bread machine, in the order described in your bread machine manual.  Set machine to the dough setting. Once the dough cycle is complete, turn out onto a generously floured surface.  pat dough into a rectangle that is approximately 3/4" thick.  Cut 3/4" wide strips of dough. Then cut strips into approximately 2.5 - 3"" pieces and place onto floured baking sheets, leaving room for the dough to rise:

Cover each pan loosely with a dish towel and set in a warm place for the dough to rise for one hour.

In the meantime, combine 1 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a paper lunch bag and set aside.

Prepare cream by combining 8 ounces mascarpone cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar in a mixing bowl.  Beat until smooth and set aside.

Once dough has risen, fill a saucepan with vegetable oil or shortening and heat over medium-high heat until oil is hot for deep frying.  Cook 5-6 donut bites at a time, depending on the size of the pan, turning once the bottoms are golden browned.  Once both sides are browned, remove from oil, and drain on paper towels.  Drop each batch of Donut Bites into the paper bag and dredge by folding the bag closed and shaking in the Cinnamon/Sugar coating:

Serve Donut Bites warm with little bowls of the cream and a sour jam of your choice.  (I love Sour plum). Dip the donuts into the cream and then into the jam (or use tiny spoons to scoop cream and jam onto the donuts) and bite!

Tips:

• Please please please don't try and substitute regular flour.  Cake flour is a must.  Trust me, I learned the hard, not so fluffy and wonderful way.
• Since this is a big batch of dough, make sure your bread machine is capable of mixing the ingredients. In my machine, I need to stir everything together with a wooden spoon, in the machine to help it get started.
• I started out thinking donut holes would be perfect for this recipe but learned that the frying results can be inconsistent, due to the thickness of the dough.  By making the thinner dough shapes, you'll experience much better results and no doughy centers.
• Don't overcook the dough.  You don't want the donuts to get too dark on the outside as it makes each bite much less tender.
• I realize that finding mascarpone can be a challenge if you live in a small town.  Don't worry. Simply substitute 1 cup heavy whipping cream for the mascarpone and whip with the vanilla and powdered sugar until stiff.  If you're going to keep the cream on hand for more than one hour, add in 1 teaspoon of honey while whipping, so the cream doesn't separate.  Substituting cream for the mascarpone results in a cream that isn't quite as decadent, but still very tasty.  I do not recommend substituting cream cheese, as it will overpower the flavors in this dessert.

Makes about 60 bite-sized donuts.

To make dough by hand:

Warm milk and butter in a saucepan until butter is melted.  If milk is hot, let it cool to lukewarm.  Add yeast, sugar, eggs, and salt and whisk until combined.  Add 1 cup of the cake flour and beat well.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until light and bubbly, approximately one hour.  Add remaining 3 cups of cake flour and stir until smooth and combined.  (The dough will be stiff).  Cover and let rise in a warm place again for another half an hour.

Continue recipe by following the directions above, starting at the point the dough is removed from the bread machine.

Treat Bags!

Well hello! I have sweet treats on my mind.  Oh my, how I love sweets.  You know what else I love more? Cutely packaged treats.

Oh friends, I sure have some fun (and sweet) things in store for you this year. I've been hearing from lots of you, missing my online shop. And although I won't be selling things online anymore (we just couldn't keep up with the demand), I thought about something that would be even better. Free things. Cute things. Sweet things. So, for my first treat just for you, with Valentines Day in mind, I give you..... Treat Bags!

Perfect for packaging any little things you like.

Here's what you do:

Step 1.) Download my treat bags file onto your computer and print.  Follow my instructions (provided in the download) for cutting and glueing.  Click here for the download.

Step 2.) Gather up your favorite treats or doo-dads or whatever you love:

Step 3.) Plunk your treats into your cute little bags that you just crafted, all by your little self (or with your best pal or sweet children):

And then give, give, give! Make someone's day.

Or wait for Valentines to pass out your surprise treats, Farm Chick Style.

Happy day, sweet friends. Happy day.

Note on directions: If you're not crazy about glueing the bags, double stick tape is a great alternative.

Candy sources: The Sweet Sticks are from Trader Joes.  The Valentine M&M's are from Target.

Special thanks to Elle's Studio, for bringing these bags to life for me to share with you. xo

Quadruple Chocolate Mousse Cake

You know those cakes that say they're triple chocolate or chocolate overload?  Well, I want to SEE that there's triple the chocolate in there!  Who knows, maybe it's a trick.  This QUADRUPLE Chocolate Mousse Cake that I adapted from a cake that used to be sold at a bakery in Spokane shows you the chocolate and will show your loved ones quadruple the love.  I promise, It's something they won't ever forget.  And after all, it is cake month!

Now, before you get started, I'll warn you that this isn't a quick and easy recipe and it does contain raw eggs.  It also takes some time and requires a special cheesecake pan.  But don't worry, if you want to make it lots easier, and don't have a special cheesecake pan, I've included an option just for you because no-one should ever be left out, right?

Cookie Layer:

1 1/4 cups Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafer Cookie crumbs

3 Tablespoons melted butter

Dark Chocolate Layer:

1/2 cup melted butter

7 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces (do not use chocolate chips)

4 eggs, separated

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon sugar

Milk Chocolate Layer:

10.5 ounces milk chocolate, broken into pieces (do not use milk chocolate chips)

1/4 cup coffee

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks

White Chocolate Layer:

10.5 ounces white chocolate, broken into pieces (do not use white chocolate chips)

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks

Mix crumbs and butter together and press into the bottom of a 9-inch cheesecake pan (not springform).

For the Dark Chocolate Layer, melt the butter and chocolate together in a glass bowl in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until chocolate is melted and combined with the butter. Using a whisk, whisk in the vanilla extract and egg yolks.  In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold stiff egg white mixture into the dark chocolate mixture until well combined.  Spread the dark chocolate mixture evenly over the Cookie Layer and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

For the Milk Chocolate Layer, melt the milk chocolate and coffee together in a glass bowl in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until chocolate is melted and combined with the coffee. In a separate bowl, whip 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. (Do not overbeat).  Gently fold whipped cream into the milk chocolate mixture until well combined.  Spread the milk chocolate mixture evenly over Dark Chocolate Layer and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

For the White Chocolate Layer, melt the white chocolate and water together in a glass bowl in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until chocolate is melted and combined with the water.   In a separate bowl, whip 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. (Do not overbeat).  Gently fold whipped cream into the white chocolate mixture until well combined.  Spread the white chocolate mixture evenly over Milk Chocolate Layer and refrigerate overnight.  To serve, push bottom of the cheesecake pan up and out of the pan and slice.  Store in the refrigerator.

For an easier option, add each layer as described above evenly amongst small bowls or cups for individual servings:

*Or* choose whichever one chocolate you like best and fill individual cups with the one chocolate flavor of your choice.

Raspberry Swizzle

Imagine a fizzy raspberry creamsicle in a drink and you can imagine my Raspberry Swizzle.

 

This drink is so-o-o-o yummy.  And so simple!  Heat some frozen (unsweetened) raspberries until runny. Layer a few spoonfuls or the raspberries with vanilla ice-cream scoops in a frosty glass.  Pour sparkling apple cider over the top, swizzle all together, and enjoy!

Sweetie Pies

I've always loved using pie crust to make delicious treats and these are a favorite, for sure!

To begin, prepare your favorite pie crust.  Roll it out in thin strips to cut with a heart cookie cutter:

Add a dollop of seedless raspberry jam to the center of each heart:

Moisten the edge of the heart with water, all around, and cover with another heart cut-out:

Softly press top edge down onto bottom edge, forming a seal, and press sealed edges together with fork tines, all around:

Prick center of each little pie with fork tines and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned:

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature:

Sweetie Pies make the perfect little homemade Valentine treat:

Or, you can dust them with powdered sugar:

And keep them on hand for a tasty little snack...

But you better act quick!  They're so yummy that they'll be going..going...

Gone!

Sources:

The Sweetie Pie tag is from my Valentine Tag Collection, available on my website.

The polka-dot food safe tissue paper is from The Container Store.

The tiny heart treat box is from Martha Stewart.