[sweetsandsisters]

Summer Hamburger Cookies

My wonderful mother has a slew of cooking traditions that we did as kids during different holidays and seasons. One of our all-time favorites is the hamburger cookies that we make during the summer. With vanilla wafers, grasshopper cookies, icing and a few other ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen, you can make cookies that are sure to impress and bring some giggles at your next cook out. 

Ingredients

1 box of vanilla wafers

1 package of thin mint cookies

1 bag of coconut

Half Recipe of Martha Stewart's Swiss Meringue Frosting 

Green, red and yellow food coloring

Sesame Seeds

Honey 

The great thing about this recipe is it takes less than a half hour to put together. Once you have all of the hamburger pieces prepped, an assembly line takes care of the rest!

1. Make Half Recipe of Martha Stewart's Swiss Meringue Frosting. Add yellow food coloring to half of recipe for mustard, and add red food coloring to other half for ketchup.

2. Put coconut into large ziploc bag with green food coloring to make lettuce

3. Set half of the vanilla wafers top side down on a sheet tray

4. Add yellow icing for mustard 

5. Put thin mint cookies on top of frosting and press down lightly until you see the yellow

6. Add red icing for ketchup

7. Put coconut on top of mustard for lettuce

 8. Put a little bit of leftover ketchup or mustard frosting onto the flat side of a vanilla wafer and press down for the top bun.

9. Use a paintbrush to brush honey on vanilla wafer bun and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

10. Enjoy!!

Let us know what you think of these fun summer cookies!

<3 Peace and Pastries 

[sweetsandsisters]

New York Style Cheesecake with Berry Topping

The last recipe from the YL Holiday party is the delicious Cheesecake Factory Recipe for New York Cheesecake with fresh berry topping. 

  Directions

Preheat oven to 475°. Mix 3 ingredients together and press crust into bottom and half way up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan.

Using an electric mixer, mix sugar, cream cheese, sour cream and vanilla. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl and blend until eggs are incorporated. It is very important that you mix until the ingredients are just incorporated so you do not over mix the filling! Pour into 9 inch spring form pan on top of crust.

Fill a large baking pan with 1 inch of water and place springform into baking pan. This keeps the crust from over baking and allows for the light texture of the cheesecake!

Bake for 45 minutes until the cheesecake is barely golden. You want to make sure the cheesecake still jiggles a little so it maintains its light, creamy texture! Turn the oven off and Let the cheesecake sit in oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 3 hours to cool completely. 

To create the berry topping, put all of the berries and apricot jam into a large bowl and mix gently. The apricot jam helps to preserve the berries and gives the topping a sweet little kick! Pour the berry topping over the cheesecake and put in the fridge to cool before serving.

  Ingredients

Crust Ingredients:

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3  cup melted margarine

    Filling Ingredients:

4 (8oz) packages of cream cheese, softened

1 ¼ cups sugar

½ cup sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

5 large eggs

  Topping Ingredients:

1 package strawberries

1 package blueberries

1 package raspberries

8 oz. jar of apricot jam

  What are your favorite types of cheesecake?

Kristin tried a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake at Fluff Bakery at school in Athens, Ohio. This recipe just might be next on our to-do list!

Peace and Pastries <3 

[jenisicecreams]

Break out your best flannel. 

[sweetsandsisters]

Yummy! Love Jeni's Ice Cream 

[sweetsandsisters]

Peanut Butter Buckeye Cheesecake

If you love Reese's cups, buckeye cookies, Jif's new Whipped Peanut Butter and Chocolate spread  or any other delicious peanut butter and chocolate concoction, then this Peanut Butter Buckeye Cheesecake is right up your alley! 

The delicious brownie bottom with fluffy peanut butter cheesecake and a chocolate ganache is sure to have your mouth watering just looking at it. That was exactly the case at Yerecic Label's holiday party where we couldn't even snap a picture before the YL Team started cutting!

Top Tip for Making Cheesecakes: Make sure you have enough time to make the cheesecake correctly. From start to finish, the decadent dessert can take upwards of 5 hours. 

Ingredients 

Crust Ingredients

1 package brownie mix

Filling Ingredients

3 (8oz) packages of cream cheese, softened

1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (10oz) package of peanut butter chips, melted

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 Topping Ingredients

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons butter-flavored shortening

12 buckeye truffles

  Directions 

Preheat oven to 350°. 

Prepare brownie mix and pour into a 9 inch springform pan. Cook for 20 minutes and take out of oven to cool

Reduce oven temperature to 325°.

Beat all softened cream cheese, condensed milk, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl. Melt peanut butter chips in a separate bowl and stir into the other filling ingredients. Pour cheesecake filling over baked brownie mix.

Fill a large baking pan with 1 inch of water and place springform into baking pan. This keeps the crust from over baking and allows for the light texture of the cheesecake!

Bake for 45 minutes until the cheesecake is barely golden. You want to make sure the cheesecake still jiggles a little so it maintains its light, creamy texture!

Turn the oven off and let the cheesecake sit in oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 3 hours before adding chocolate ganache to top.

Melt the butter-flavored shortening in a pot or double broiler. Add chocolate chips and mix over heat until almost smooth. Remove heat and continue stirring to allow chocolate to completely melt. 

Pour chocolate topping onto cheesecake and smooth with a spatula. Add buckeye truffles around the edge of the cheesecake. 

What is your favorite cheesecake recipe? Share in the comments section!

Peace and Pastries <3 

[sweetsandsisters]

Apologies for the Hiatus!

We want to apologize to Sweets and Sisters readers for the hiatus and irregularity of posts!

Kristin is a Senior at Ohio University while Bekah is back in Pittsburgh, PA. Recently, Kristin took on another blog managing editor role for her content marketing class which left Sweets and Sisters on the back burner. 

The good news is that Kristin will be graduating in the beginning of May and moving in with Bekah for the summer. We are looking forward to catching up and providing you all with recipes, tips and sweet treat ideas.

Peace and Pastries <3

[bhgfood]

Key Lime Cheesecake Bars: This dazzling cheesecake recipe is a sweet-tart takeoff on the ever-popular pie. (BHG.com)

[sweetsandsisters]

These look absolutely delicious! Would love to see a lemon meringue version. 

[sweetsandsisters]

Easy Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

The next cupcake from the Yerecic Label Holiday Party is a delicious Red Velvet Cupcake with a Cream Cheese Frosting. 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Line 24 cupcake tins with cupcake cups. 

Mix red velvet cupcake box mix as directed in a medium bowl. Scoop the red velvet cupcake batter into tins until they are 2/3 full to allow room to rise while cooking.

Bake cupcakes for 15-20 minutes or until cupcakes bounce back when touched. Rotate halfway through baking. Allow to cool thoroughly after baking. While waiting, prepare the filling and frosting.

In a kitchen aid or hand mixer, combine butter and cream cheese until very smooth. Add in vanilla extract then slowly add powdered sugar one cup at a time with the mixer on low speed.

Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, put half of the cream cheese frosting in a piping bag. Poke a hole into the middle of the cupcake and fill generously.

Use the other half of the frosting in piping bag (or a Ziploc with the corner cut out!) to swirl the frosting onto the cupcakes. Start from the outside of the cupcake and work your way into the middle in a circular design. 

Put extra cupcake into food processor to make red velvet breadcrumb topping. Put crumbs on a sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes until crispy. Sprinkle over cream cheese frosting

   Ingredients

Frosting and Filling Ingredients: You’ll be using the cream cheese frosting as both the filling and frosting so we are going to make double the usual recipe

2 sticks of butter, at room temperature

2 (8oz) packages of cream cheese

4-6 cups of powdered sugar

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Cupcake Ingredients:

2 boxes of Red Velvet Cupcake mix

Topping Ingredients:

Additional Red Velvet Cupcake

  The final cupcake of the YL Holiday party was the Maple Bacon Cupcake, The maple bacon cupcakes were such a hit at our family’s Thanksgiving, that my dad decided to bring them to all of Yerecic Label. 

Next week we'll be sharing the recipe to the cheesecakes from the holiday party starting with the delicious peanut butter and chocolate Buckeye Cheesecake!

Peace and Pastries <3

[sweetsandsisters]

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Calling all chocolate lovers! For the next installment of the Yerecic Label holiday party sweets, we are featuring the Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes. Kristin's personal favorite is the perfect mix of sweet and savory.

With a chocolate cupcake, raspberry filling and chocolate ganache frosting this cupcake is sure to send you into chocolate heaven! 

Ingredients Needed:

Cupcake Ingredients:

Devil’s Food Chocolate Cupcake Mix

 Filling:

2 cups Raspberry Filling

 Chocolate Ganache Frosting:

16 oz of semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cups of heavy cream 

Directions:

Mix chocolate cupcake box mix as directed in a medium bowl. Scoop the cupcake batter into tins until they are 2/3 full to allow room to rise while cooking.

Bake cupcakes for 15-20 minutes until cupcakes bounce back when touched. Rotate halfway through bake time. Allow cupcakes to cool.

While waiting for the cupcakes to cool, bring heavy cream to a slight boil (steam coming off). Pour heavy cream over chocolate chips and whisk until smooth. Allow mixture to cool at room temperature then put in refrigerator overnight or at least 12 hours to allow the ganache to set up.

Once the cupcakes are cooled, use a piping bag fill cupcakes with raspberry filling. Fill generously.

When the frosting is the correct consistency, use a piping bag (or a Ziploc with the corner cut out!) to swirl the frosting onto the cupcakes. Start from the outside of the cupcake and work your way into the middle in a circular design.  Top with a dollop of raspberry filling on top!

Enjoy! Look for the Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe next week along with our favorite Maple Bacon Cupcakes.

Peace and Pastries <3

[sweetsandsisters]

Peanut Butter Banana Elvis Cupcakes: The King of Cupcakes

After getting adjusted back at school after the holiday break, I've finally found some much needed time to dedicate to Sweets and Sisters! 

With over 300 cupcakes and 6 cheesecakes for the Yerecic Label associates at the holiday party in late January, the YL associates were ranting and raving about the sweets during the party and the week following at work. After many promised recipes, I have decided to do a series of blog posts featuring all of the cupcake and cheesecake recipes.

What better way to start it off than with the King of all cupcakes! The delicious Elvis Cupcake. With a Banana cupcake, chocolate filling and peanut butter frosting this sweet treat will have you "All Shook Up". 

Ingredients Needed

Frosting Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups sugar

5 large egg whites

4 sticks softened unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ cup of peanut butter

Topping Ingredients:

1 ½ cups mini chocolate chips

1 bag of banana chips

Cupcake Ingredients:

Yellow cupcake box mix

1 ripened banana

Filling Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups sugar

5 large egg whites

4 sticks softened unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

¼- ½ cup cocoa powder, sifted (judge by color)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line 24 cupcake tins with cupcake cups.

2. Mix yellow cupcake box mix as directed in a medium bowl. Add one mashed ripened banana into cake mix. Scoop the yellow cupcake batter into tins until they are 2/3 full to allow room to rise while cooking.

3. Bake cupcakes for 15-20 minutes or until cupcakes are golden and bounce back when touched. Rotate the cupcakes halfway through bake time. While waiting for the cupcakes to cool, prepare the filling and frosting.

4. We love Martha Stewart’s Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe for both fillings and frosting! To make it easy I have restated the recipe directions here. Be sure to follow thoroughly for best results!

Use heat-proof electric mixer bowl to create a double broiler over a pan over gently simmering water. Place sugar and egg whites into bowl and whisk until sugar is dissolved (approximately 3 minutes). Transfer the bowl to the elctric mixer stand. Using a whisk attachment, beat on high speed until mixer has cooled completely and formed stiff peaks (about 10 minutes).  Add one piece of butter at a time and beat until incorporated before next addition. Repeat until all the butter is added. Add vanilla and cocoa powder a spoonful at a time to prevent changing the frosting consistency, beat until combined. Switch to paddle attachment and put on lowest speed for 5 minutes allowing frosting to smooth completely. Allow the buttercream to come to room temperature before use.

  5. When the cupcakes are completely cooled, use a piping bag to poke a hole into the middle of the cupcake and fill generously.

  6. Repeat Martha Stewart’s Swiss meringue Buttercream recipe outlined in step 4, but substitute peanut butter for cocoa powder. When you add the vanilla into the frosting, add the peanut butter a spoonful at a time to prevent changing the frosting consistency, beat until combined. Switch to paddle attachment and put on lowest speed for 5 minutes allowing frosting to smooth completely. Allow the buttercream to come to room temperature before use.

  7. Use a piping bag (or a Ziploc with the corner cut out!) to swirl the frosting onto the cupcakes. Start from the outside of the cupcake and work your way into the middle in a circular design. 

  8. Put a layer of mini-chocolate chips onto a plate and run the outside rim of the cupcake lightly in the cupcakes. Place a banana chip on the top and the King is in town!

We hope you enjoy and look for the Chocolate Raspberry cupcake recipe next Wednesday!

Peace and Pastries <3

[sweetsandsisters]

Holiday Blossom Cookie Tray

A favorite holiday sweet in our family is the creamy and delicious Peanut Butter Hershey’s Kiss Blossom Cookies. With almost 15 different types Hershey's Kisses, we wanted to create cookie trays for Christmas to showcase some of those delicious flavors.  We settled on five different blossom combinations including:

Peanut Butter Blossom Cookie with Milk Chocolate HERSHEY’S KISSES

S’more Blossom Cookie with Special Dark Chocolate HERSHEY’s KISSES

Coconut Blossom Cookie with HERSHEY’S Hugs

Chocolate Crinkle Blossom Cookie with HERSHEY'S KISSES Dark Chocolates filled with Mint Truffle  (we’ve also seen these used with the Candy Cane Flavored HERSHEY’S KISSES)

Cherry Cordial Blossom Cookie with HERSHEY'S KISSES Milk Chocolates filled with Cherry Cordial Crème*

**Each type of blossom has a  link to the cookie recipe used along with the type of Hershey's Kiss.**

TOP TIPS FOR MAKING SOFT & BLOSSOM COOKIES

Chill the cookie dough before baking: When the dough is soft and warm, it will spread out instead of raising in the oven.

Roll in Sugar (or Powdered Sugar) before Baking: The sugar gives the blossom cookie that yummy crunchiness on the outside to contrast the super soft inside

Press HERSHEY KISSES into blossoms as soon as they come out of the oven: If you wait too long, the Hershey Kiss may not attach to the cookie.

For another unique treat for the holidays, check out our recipe for Maple Bacon Cupcakes from Thanksgiving!

Peace and Pastries <3

[sweetsandsisters]

Yerecic Label Holiday Luncheon Treats

One of the biggest trends (and one of Bekah’s biggest obsessions) is minis! Mini cupcakes, mini cakes, mini bread loafs and everything in between.  So when my Dad asked Bekah to prepare the desserts for the Yerecic Label holiday luncheon- mini is all that was on her mind.

To spice up the event, Bekah decided to go down the road less traveled by making mini bundt cakes and mini cake shots.

The Mini Bundt Cake flavors included:

Gingerbread Bundt Cake with a Simple Vanilla Glaze

Chocolate Bundt Cake and Chocolate Ganache Icing with Chocolate and White Chocolate Chips

Yellow Bundt Cake and Simple Vanilla Glaze with Fresh Berries

The Mini Cake Shot flavors included:

Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

White Cake with Blackberry Frosting

  These treats were a great twist on classic flavors and recipes. Everyone loved having their own personal dessert in the perfect little size.  We look forward to experimenting more with minis!

Peace and Pastries <3

[sweetsandsisters]

Maple Bacon Cupcakes

After the chaos and overstuffing of the Thanksgiving, I'm ready to fill you in on the adventure of Maple Bacon Cupcakes. This truly tests the concept that bacon is good on everything. To make it super easy and realistic for readers who are not as kitchen friendly, we decided to use boxed cake mix instead of baking the cupcakes from scratch.

Here are all the ingredients you will need for 2 dozen cupcakes:

1 box of Pillsbury Moist Supreme Classic White Cake Mix

1 package of bacon

3 sticks unsalted butter (softened)

1 pound confectioners sugar 

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract 

4 tablespoons of maple syrup

24 cupcake liners

STEP 1: Cook Bacon During this recipe, we use one of our favorite kitchen gadgets, the “Makin Bacon Dish”.  The hanging design of this tool helps make your bacon crispy, while catching all the bacon's grease and fat at the bottom of the dish. To give the cupcakes a little bacon flavoring, we will be substituting the oil in the White Cake Mix with the bacon oil! 

Kristin putting bacon on Makin Bacon tool for cooking in the microwave.

  STEP 2: Mix Cupcake Batter Mix White Cake Mix with bacon grease as substitute for oil. Fill the cupcake tins with the cupcake liners and pour mix until each tin is approximately 2/3 full.

Kristin and Bekah prepping cake mix and fillings for Thanksgiving cupcakes. 

STEP 3: Bake Cook cupcakes for 20 minutes at 350 degrees, and rotate the pan halfway through the cook time. 

  White Cake Cupcakes halfway through cook time 

STEP 4:  Make Frosting Bekah swears by Martha Stewart’s Buttercream recipe as her favorite. The icing is so light and silky with a sweet taste, while insanely simple!

Use electric mixer to beat 3 sticks of butter for 2 minutes until creamy.

Gradually beat in confectionary sugar in 1/2 cup intervals on medium high speed. The process should take about 5 minutes until the buttercream is smooth. 

Add 4 Tablespoons of Maple Syrup and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla to the icing and fold in softly 

STEP 5: Decorate After the cupcakes have cooled thoroughly (usually takes at least 1 hour!) use a piping bag (or Ziploc with hole in one corner) to apply the maple icing to the cupcakes. Add two small pieces of bacon to the top, drizzle some maple syrup overtop, and enjoy!

   Maple Bacon Cupcakes on display at Yerecic Family Thanksgiving.

REVIEWS!! The Yerecic family was obsessed with the Maple Bacon Cupcakes. Of the 3 different types of cupcakes Bekah and I made, the Maple Bacon ones were gone the quickest and the most raved about. The sweet and salty mixture gives you the effect of a full pancake breakfast in a few little bites. 

Our sister, Lizzy Yerecic, right before she enjoys her Maple Bacon Cupcake!

Peace and Pastries <3

[sweetsandsisters]

Lessons from Giada: How to Stay Safe in the Kitchen this Thanksgiving

While filming a Thanksgiving special on the Food Network, seasoned vet Giada De Laurentiis cut her finger during live broadcast. A cut to commercial and a few stitches later, Giada sent an update via Instagram on the injury.

Giada's Instagram Post Joking About Cutting Her Finger on Live TV

This shows that even the best cooking kings and pastry queens slip up and injure themselves in the kitchen. Here are some tips to keep you and your family safe in the kitchen this Thanksgiving!

Keep your knives sharp: Dull knives are more likely to slip and cut you.

Keep your eyes on your work: During the holidays, it is easy to get distracted with family and friends while cooking. Stay focused on the task at hand to keep from injuring yourself.

Curl your fingers under while cutting: If you slip up, you'll only knick your knuckles rather than lose a fingertip. 

Don't use your palm as a cutting board or freehand: ALWAYS use a surface to cut. When you're experienced in the kitchen, it's easy to think that you can cut anywhere.

For more tips, visit the How to Use Kitchen Knives for Dummies . Remember even the most experienced and professional cooks, like Giada, can slip up in the kitchen. Keep these tips in mind to keep you and your family safe and cut free this Thanksgiving!

Peace and Pastries <3

[sweetsandsisters]

Sweet Twist on Thanksgiving Favorites

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, what better way to celebrate with treats centered around holiday staples. Bekah's scrumptious inventions this week feature fall favorites with a new twist. What other yummy Thanksgiving inspired have you seen?

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Yellow Cake Cupcake with Apple Filling

Caramel Buttercream Icing with a drop of caramel 

Mixed Nut Toppings and Popsicle Stick to top it off

Sweet Potato Cupcakes

Sweet Potato Cupcake filled with Marshmallow Buttercream

Marshmallow Buttercream Icing

Topped with Toasted Marshmallows

**All Cupcakes were prepared and decorated by Bekah Yerecic at Grandview Bakery in Mt. Washington, PA**

With some creativity, every holiday favorite can be turned into a sweet treat. Look for Bekah and Kristin's experiment preparing Maple Bacon cupcakes for the Yerecic family Thanksgiving dinner closer to Turkey Day!

Peace and Pastries <3

[sweetsandsisters]

Sweet and Salty Heaven

This Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction takes sweet and salty to a new level! The first time Bekah made these cookies for Lizzy's graduation party, over six dozen were gone in two hours! Needless to say these cookies now make an appearance at almost every event. 

Four Easy Steps to Perfect Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies **Photo and Recipe Credit to Sally’s Baking Addiction**

There are a few tricks to making these cookies perfect, which we had to learn the hard way. Here are the 3 things to remember when making this recipe:

Freeze Dough Overnight: Make the dough the night before you plan to make the cookies. This will make the dough much more manageable when you put the Rollo inside.

12-13 Minute Cook Time: This might seem like a short period of time and the cookies will look very light. Any longer in the oven will harden the caramel and lose the chewy effect of the Rollo inside.

Teamwork: If made in bulk, this recipe is a lot of steps for one person to manage. Use family and friends to help unwrap the Rollos, roll the dough into balls or putting chocolate chips and sea salt after they are out of the oven. 

Enjoy your savory treats!

Peace and Pastries <3

[sweetsandsisters]

Happy National Chocolate Day

Happy National Chocolate Day! To celebrate, here is a recipe for one of the Yerecic family's favorite chocolate indulgences- Texas Sheet Cake. 

This specific recipe is from The Pioneer Woman Cooks who swears that this is the Best Texas Sheet Cake EVER! Enjoy your chocolate heaven!

* Photo and Recipe Credit to: The Pioneer Woman Cooks*

Peace and Pastries <3

[rachaelraymag]

[sweetsandsisters]

Fun Foodie Fact from Rachel Ray!