Scream Cheese Swirl Brownies

OoooOoooOooooOooooOooooo!!

That was my lame interpretation of a ghost, or something spooky anyway.

Friends, we are SO close to Halloween!

In honor of one of my favorite holidays (Thanksgiving is still the favorite: it is, after all, focused on food) I am sharing with you some wonderfully spooky sweet treats you can whip up to share with your ghosts and goblins, your fiends and friends.

Today we shall start with a super simple recipe for Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies. Seriously, these are so easy I am thinking about adapting it for every color scheme I could ever need in my life. Valentine's swirl brownies, Christmas Swirl Brownies...Because who ever says no to a brownie??

No one.

At least no one I know. College students aren't typically known for being picky eaters. Free food equals friends for life.

But back to brownies!

I've included a couple of step-by-step pictures to help you in case you get lost, but the wonderful thing about this recipe is that it is so forgiving. The brownie recipe is one-bowl-wonderful and as long as you swirl your knife randomly through the brownie batter and cream cheese, you're bound to end up with a beautiful marble effect.

See? Nothing to it but to do it.

Mmmm...spooky and scrumptious.

I'll be back at the beginning of next week with a recipe that is slightly more involved, but will result in some adorably festive candy corn cookies.

See you then!

P.S. This last photo is from Instagram :O Finally getting the hang of it! 

Scream Cheese Swirl Brownies

Via Baked Perfection

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1 tbsp warm water
1 tsp vinegar
2 egg, beaten
3/4 cup flour

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
orange food coloring (red and yellow)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and butter a 9x9 baking pan.
2. In a large bowl whisk (one by one) butter, sugar, cocoa powder, egg, and vinegar together, mixing well after each addition.
3. Gently stir in baking soda and flour until just combined. Pour all but 1/4 cup brownie batter into prepared pan.
4. In a medium bowl beat cream cheese and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla, then add food coloring until desired shade is reached.
5. Gently pour cream cheese mixture over brownie batter in pan, covering the entire brownie layer. Dollop the remaining 1/4 cup of brownie batter randomly over the top of the cream cheese mixture.
6. Gently pull a knife or spatula through the layers, swirling to create a marbled effect.
7. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting and serving.

Tarpon Springs Food Truck Rally

Hello all,

This past weekend (besides whipping up awesome Homemade Hostess Cupcakes) I managed to make it to a Food Truck Rally in Tarpon Springs, Florida. First off, might I say this is a fabulous idea and we should encourage more rallies like these in other states? What a great way to get the word out about some really impressive eateries on wheels and yet another excuse for me to stuff my face with good food.

There were about eight or ten trucks all lined up along Tarpon Ave in the historical district of Tarpon Springs, and to top it off we had a lovely sunny day. Though the sunny day quickly turned into a "oh my god it's so hot I'm sweating like a pig" day, it did not deter any of the hundreds of foodies eager to sample the gourmet eats at these food trucks.

From gator empanadas to grouper sliders, gourmet cupcakes to all-natural popsicles, it was like a dream come true for me. My family and I had to walk up and down the street multiple times just to decide where we were going to eat and what we were going to bring back home for later.

My parents decided on the Rollin Zoinks! Truck which featured out-of-this-world wraps, such as The Southerner, filled with fried Chicken, corn, risotto, green beans, and who knows what else. My Dad also settled on the Steak on a Whim, which included steak, of course, along with risotto, mushrooms, green beans and more.

My brother made a beeline for a pulled pork sandwich, and though I originally had decided on the Zoinks! truck as well, my heart was stolen away by the Keepin it Reel Truck. Not that it was really all that difficult to do, since Zoinks! was moving like molasses on their orders, and I sadly have to report that they most likely lost a few hundred dollars in business that way.

I'm not a food truck expert, but I do know that speed is crucial to maintaining your customers, especially when there are seven or eight other trucks within walking distance of you who can dish their meals out in seconds, which was another reason why I hustled over to Keepin it Reel. Fresh seafood sandwiches, including a Sweet Chili Po' Boy that had my name on it, which I ordered, received, and then walked back to my mom at the Zoinks! truck to find her still waiting on her and my dad's food.

The shrimp were fried to perfection, and the heat from the sweet chili sauce paired well with the lettuce, onions, pickles, on a well toasted bun. Not even one bite in, I was approached by five or six people asking what I had ordered and from where, completely intrigued by the steaming sandwich full of bright glistening fried shrimp.

I'd do free advertising for Keepin it Reel if they just paid me in those Shrimp Po' Boys.

Are you curious about the verdict of the Zoinks! wraps?

My parents loved them; every bit was filled with flavor and it was a departure from their normal food comfort zones, but we all couldn't get past the idea of my poor mom, standing there in the unforgiving Florida Sun, waiting for what seemed like hours for two wraps.

Before we left we picked up half a dozen cupcakes from this adorable truck:

which also took longer than expected. I mean c'mon cupcake man, just put them in the box and give me my cupcakes. If there is a truck that is cooking quicker then you are packaging, there's a problem.

But when it came to flavor, there was no problem. We brought them home to have with some coffee, and I had the ingenious idea to cut them into quarters so we could all sample them. I even did my fake Florian impression from Cupcake Wars (which I am so relieved none of you will ever hear). Soft, fluffy, light-as-air cake became the foundation for a subtle lemon with fresh lemon curd center, or a tangy red velvet or even a moist, decadent chocolate cake.

It was a day full of food, which is exactly how every day would be if I could have it my way.
If you're around the Tampa/St. Pete area this summer you have to check out the Food Truck Fridays hosted by TastingTampa. I know we will definitely be going back for seconds, thirds...until they recognize us there and tell us to go home.

Until next time: Happy Eating!
~Jess

Nutella Stuffed Sugar Cookies

....Are you ready?

For what you might ask?

For the amazing idea that is...Nutella Stuffed Sugar Cookies (major applause)

Yes, apparently you can now stuff your sugar cookies with wonderful fillings, such as Nutella. Mind blowing right? It was for me anyway.

After the overwhleming success with the Nutella Brownies earlier in the week, I just knew these would be a smash hit.

Now you might be saying "wouldn't stuffing a sugar cookie with ooey, gooey, yummy Nutella be difficult?"

Not at all! Well, maybe, but you need to push through it because your tummy (and any nearby friends) will be thanking you for the rest of your life.

So first semi-tedious process: scooping out teaspoonfuls of Nutella onto a baking sheet. This ensures that the filling is a good size in ratio with the amount of cookie dough, but man is Nutella stubborn. It took me quite awhile (and many expletives later) to get all 20 little dollops onto the sheet, but I did it, and into the freezer they went.

So now we move from tedious to just plain frantic. Well, if you're me it was frantic; maybe if you are more coordinated than I am this will be a breeze. You need to split the cookie dough ball in half, flatten one side, and quickly place the dollop of frozen Nutella in the center and cover with the remaining half of dough before the Nutella melts. Hint: do NOT touch the Nutella with your fingers whatsoever: a spatula and a spoon will save you the issue I soon encountered with the Nutella melting by the mere poke of an index finger.

But, after all this, if you choose to continue, you wind up with these:

Worth. Every. Second.

I also had the thought that if this works with Nutella, why stop there? I mean, I don't care for peanut butter but I am sure that a chocolate cookie stuffed with peanut butter (maybe even jelly too!) would go over quite well with oh, say, everyone?

Everyone that likes peanut butter anyway. But regardless, this is a whole new way to look at (and enjoy) cookies, and I hope you decide to try it out for yourself.

Next time On Sugar Mountain will be Lemon Muffins. Simple yet satisfying.

As always, Happy Baking!

Nutella Stuffed Sugar Cookies Via CookinCanuck

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups sugar + 1/3 cup sugar, divided
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup Nutella

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper
2. Scoop out 1 teaspoon-sized dollops of Nutella onto one of the cookie sheets (you need about 20-24). Place cookie sheet in freezer for 15 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. In a separate larger bowl, beat together butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy; then beat in each egg followed by the vanilla extract.
5. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir/mix until well combined.
6. Roll 2 tbsp of cookie dough into a ball. (I suggest rolling all your cookie dough before pulling the Nutella out of the freezer).
7. Split dough in half and place (using a spatula) a dollop of Nutella in the center. Cover with other half of dough and roll back into a ball, pinching the seams closed. Roll in 1/3 cup remaining sugar and place on baking sheet. Repeat with all.
8. Bake at 350 for 10-13 minutes or until edges are just beginning to brown. Rotate pan halfway through baking to ensure even heating. Cookies will still look puffy in the center because of the filling.
9. Let cool on sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Makes 20-24 cookies