Welcome to Happylifeblogspot! A food blog with drool worthy recipes
Candy Cane Cookies are my favorite way to spread Christmas cheer! This nostalgic butter cookie has a rich almond flavor and is a Christmas staple in our house. It takes a little time and practice to get that perfect red and white swirl but I promise […]
Whether you’re looking to use up that leftover Halloween candy that’s hanging around or brainstorming an epic Thanksgiving spread that will knock everyone’s socks off, Butterfinger Cheesecake fits the bill perfectly. Cheesecake is such an amazing dessert on its own but when you toss in crispy, […]
Serve up a little slice of sunshine with our White Chocolate Fruit Tart! As summer heats up it’s only natural to crave juicy fruits and refreshing desserts and this beautiful tart is both. This marvelous dessert is super versatile and perfect for brunch, picnics and summer BBQs. The delicious shortbread style crust is super easy to make and requires no rolling or chilling. Its decadent white chocolate cream cheese filling is perfectly balanced by an assortment of colorful glazed fruit. You can easily add your own spin on this recipe by mixing up the combination of fruits. Try adding in some mixed berries or going a little more tropical with mango and coconut. The possibilities are really endless! Hope you’re ready to party because your friends and family will be swarming as soon as you pull this baby out. Seriously there won’t be a single crumb left behind.
Here’s all you’ll need: butter, confectioners’ sugar, white chocolate chips, heavy cream, cream cheese, mandarin oranges, pineapple chunks, strawberries, kiwi, white sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and mint for garnish (optional). 
In a medium sized bowl, cream together the butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy. The confectioners’ sugar is the secret ingredient that keeps this pastry so light yet crisp. Gradually add in the flour (about 1/2 cup at a time) and mix well with each addition.
Grease an 11-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom with cooking spray. If you don’t have a tart pan with a removable bottom, a pizza pan with sides would work great as well. Press the pastry dough into the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. Pierce the pastry dough with a fork multiple times. This helps to prevent bubbles from forming in the pastry crust while it’s baking.
Bake the tart shell in a 300 degree preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. 
While we’re waiting for the tart shell to cool we can go ahead and get started on the white chocolate cream cheese fruit tart filling. Place the white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the microwave and generously stir. Continue to heat in 15 second intervals, stirring between each, until the white chocolate chips are melted and smooth. 
Allow the melted chips to cool slightly, then mix in the heavy cream at a low speed. Add the cream cheese to the bowl and mix at a medium speed until smooth (about 5 minutes). Look at that creamy dreamy goodness! I might have done a little taste test. LOL Can you see it?!?
Spread that amazingly delicious filling all over the pastry crust. Then pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow it to set up. I know, the waiting kills me too! But I promise you this one’s totally worth it!!
Drain the oranges, reserving 1/4 cup of fruit juice to be used later for the glaze. Drain the pineapples, again reserving 1/4 cup of the juice to use for the glaze. Peel the kiwi and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Cut the stems from the strawberries and cut the fruit into 1/4-inch slices as well. Next layer the fruit onto the filling. You can opt for a pretty pattern or design if you wanna get all fancy on us. But to me just the layers and layers of fruit are pretty enough. I mean just look at that fruit tart masterpiece! 
And let’s not forget about that citrusy sweet fruit glaze to really make this baby shine! Combine the white sugar and cornstarch in a small sauce pan. Stir in the lemon juice and reserved pineapple and orange juices from earlier. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened. Allow the glaze to cool and then gently brush it over the fruit to cover. Look at that shine! Refrigerate White Chocolate Fruit Tart for 1 hour before serving. 
Add a little mint garnish before serving and Voila! A true work of art. Seriously I can’t get over how easy this dessert is to make and how AHH-MAZING the results are. I honestly think I love this even more on day two after all of the fruit flavors have meshed together. Grab a fork and dig in! If you loved making this recipe then you should try our Fresh Strawberry Tart or Rustic Apple Tart next.
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Now just what the heck are Carrot Cake Shortbread Cookies you might ask? This dessert mashup takes all the flavors that you love from carrot cake and bakes them into a perfectly delicious sandwich cookie. With notes of caramely brown sugar, lots of vanilla, and […]
Have you started making Christmas cookies yet? Are you one of those people that makes a different batch every week and stores them perfectly in tupperware containers or are you the last minute type that whips everything together in one big cookie-palooza? I’m a little […]
Christmas is a time for family and love, a time for magic and wonder, a time for…..BAKING!!! We’ve been baking up a storm here at Happylifeblogspot this December and I don’t see it stopping anytime soon. I wanted to share with you one of my all time favorite, very unique, cookie recipes this year. Cappuccino Swirl Cookies look super duper impressive but are WAY easier to make than you think. This coffee flavored cookie has a hint of Irish cream which pairs wonderfully with the gorgeous little chocolate swirled topper. I like to make these at Christmas time but really this cookie is great any time of the year. Obviously you’ll need a hot cup of coffee for dunking. I mean it goes without saying, right?!?
Here’s all you’ll need: butter flavored shortening, white sugar, baking powder, salt, egg, Baileys coffee creamer (you can substitute Baileys or just plain ole milk), vanilla extract, flour, instant coffee, and Hershey’s hugs.
Add the shortening to a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. The butter flavored Crisco comes in the yellow package (blue is the original). And yes, of course you can use just plain ole regular Crisco if you don’t have the butter flavor on hand. Mix in one cup of sugar, the baking powder and salt until light and fluffy.
Next beat in the egg, coffee flavored liqueur (think Baileys) and vanilla and mix until well combined. So about that coffee flavored liqueur, you can totally swap out for milk if you don’t have any Baileys on hand. I got a little creative and combined the two and used a Baileys flavored coffee creamer. And I’m SOOOO glad that I have leftovers for my coffee too!!! That stuff is delish!!
Beat in the flour a cup at a time with a hand mixer. Knead in the final 1/4 cup by hand. Cover the the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour or until firm. Ok so another reason Cappuccino Swirl Cookies are fabulous at Christmas time is because you need to chill the dough. So if you’re making a cookie smorgasbord like me, you can make all your cookie doughs one day, chill in the fridge, and then do all your baking the next day. It’s nice to break it up!
Once the dough is firm, remove from the fridge and shape into 1-inch balls. Don’t forget to line those cookie sheets with parchment paper. If you’re not team parchment paper then it’s time to hop on the band wagon. You really need this in your life!! This one simple trick (using parchment paper instead of cooking spray) will really take your cookie baking to the next level. Speaking from experience!!
Next combine 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons of instant coffee granules in a small bowl. This will create that amazing, sparkly, coffee flavored coating. My mouth is watering already!
Lightly roll each and every ball into our sugar mixture. Evenly space the cookie balls on a baking sheet. You’ll want them to be about 2 inches apart. This cookie will flatten as it bakes.
See what I mean? Bake cookies in a 350 degree preheated oven for 9-11 minutes or until the cookie tops start to crack and the sides are almost set. If they’re getting brown then you’ve gone too far so keep a close and watchful eye on these lil guys. While the cookies are baking you’re going to wanna start unwrapping those chocolate candies. We need them ready to roll when the cookies are still hot out of the oven.
Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately press a Hershey’s hug into the center of each cookie. Now I know I’m usually telling you to get those cookies off the baking sheet ASAP but today we’re keeping them on there. The heat from the baking sheet is actually a good thing because we want those Hershey’s hugs to melt. Of course the cookies look gorgeous already and if you’re not brave enough to give this swirl a whirl, then go ahead and move the cookies to a cooling rack (so the Hershey’s hugs don’t melt).
Now for the big finish…..the swirl!!! Let those hot cookies sit for about 5 minutes or so until the Hershey’s hugs are nice and melty. It takes a few tries to get down the technique but I’m confident that you can do it. Using the tip of a knife (of the back of a spoon, whatever floats your boat) slowly run your utensil through the melted hug to swirl. I like to go counter clockwise and I find that a light touch works best. I also find it helpful to start from the outside and work your way in towards the middle. Practice makes perfect! Cool completely on wire baking racks.
Ta-dah!!! Are those not the most fabulous cookies you’ve ever laid eyes on??? I mean these guys are bakery perfect! That swirl though!!! Cappuccino Swirl Cookies are sure to be the star of your cookie tray this year. Don’t forget to try our Soft Cut Out Cookies and Mini Cinnamon Roll Cookies too!
We’d love to hear from you! Leave us your comments and love down below!
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Peanut Butter Cookies were my absolute favorite as a kid. So when I grew up and started baking I knew that I needed a fabulous, no fail, peanut butter cookie recipe in my arsenal ASAP!! Well guys, this is that recipe!! These cookies are rich, […]
How do you make dessert even better? Make it into an adorable hand-held mini size! Maple Pecan Tarts are a darling little spinoff of your family’s favorite classic Pecan Pie. Pecan Pie is a holiday staple at our Thanksgiving table (along with squash and apple […]
Zucchini bread is great and all but aren’t Zucchini Cupcakes even cuter?!? I mean it just doesn’t get any better than these adorable hand held little bundles of joy. In fact, I’m already planning on growing zucchini in my garden next year just for this recipe! Well that, and Pizza Zucchini Casserole! The spice flavor of these super moist cupcakes is absolute perfection. And that caramel frosting!! OMG!! Grrrlll….don’t even get me started….To. Die. For! You won’t even believe these out of this world cupcakes contain vegetables. Even my green veggie hating nephew gobbled one down! Seriously, I couldn’t believe my eyes. This will surely be your new favorite way to eat your zucchini. Promise!
Here’s all you’ll need: eggs, white sugar, canola oil, orange juice, almond extract, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cloves, zucchini, brown sugar, butter, milk, vanilla extract, and confectioners sugar.
Let’s get started! First in a large bowl, mix together the eggs, white sugar, canola oil, orange juice, and almond extract. Beat iiiiiittt!! Just Beat iiittttttt!!!
Next in a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. That means our flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ground cloves. Whisk to combine.
Then gradually add the dry mix to the egg ingredients a cup at a time. Blend it all up until it’s fully combined. Now here’s the part where we sneak in the veggies. Stir in 1-1/2 cups of shredded zucchini. Make sure you mix it up good and hide it in that batter. Especially if you have any picky nephew taste testers! Hee heeee!!
Place paper cupcake liners into a muffin pan. Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 of the way full with batter. Boop. Boop. Booop! BOOP!! It helps if you make the noise. No really it does! Wipe away any excess spillage so it doesn’t stick to the muffin pan. You guys really didn’t think I was this neat did you?!?! Pffffftttttt!!!
Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. I always check it at 20. You can always bake it for a longer amount of time, but you can’t reverse over baked cupcakes. Ya feel me? Cool in the muffin pan for eh…..about 10 minutes.
While the cupcakes are baking (or cooling) we can whip up some of that delish frosting I was telling you about earlier. You know the one where you’re gonna wanna lick the spoon! In a small sauce pan, combine the brown sugar, milk, and butter. Cook over medium heat to melt the butter. Bring it to a boil and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
Next remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Cool to a lukewarm, room temperature-ish type of thing. I’d even encourage you to toss it in the fridge to speed up the process!
Gradually mix in the powdered sugar in 1/2 cup increments. My whisk attachment got rid of all the bumps. Ain’t nobody got time to sift confectioners sugar. At least not this girl! Slather up those cooled cupcakes with a big ole heap of frosting. I mean these cupcakes are totally fine naked but how could you not dress them up with a nice coat of melt in your mouth, already making me drool, caramel frosting???
And….prepare to be dazzled by that first bite!! I mean that is…if you haven’t licked your fingers already. Zucchini has never tasted so sinfully good!!
We’d love to hear from you! Leave us your comments and love down below!
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Alright! This one is for all you last minute, late to the party, Christmas procrastinators. You know who you are! You still have presents to wrap or maybe even a couple left to buy. Hey, it happens! I get it. No judgement. I’m here for […]
Hi There! I’m Lisa. I’m a lover of all things crafty, creative, DIY, and delicious!!! Oh yeah and puppies too! I love cooking and baking for my friends and family but especially WITH my friends and family. I show my greatest affection through food. If I cook or bake for you, it means I really like you!
