Here Comes The Sun - Ready for Spring Ice Pops

By: Amy Weinberg

If you’re like me, March 1^st officially means spring to you. It means flowers are starting to bloom, snowstorms are turning into thunderstorms, and ice pops are once again edible. Yes, there is still snow on the ground. Yes, it still gets dark before 6pm. Yes, playoff basketball hasn’t even started yet. I do not care. To me, March = Spring. While I tend to commit to spring a little early, I understand that t-shirts and ice pops in March may not be for everyone. I’m not here to tell you how to spend your March. I am here to get you JACKED UP about spring and all of the fun desserts we will make to celebrate.

I am going to dive head first with this dessert and go straight for the ice pops. And no, I will not be turning our delicious coffee cake into an ice pop. (Although, if I ever figure out how to do that, you guys will be the first to know.) Instead, I’m going to give you an ice pop that will leave you feeling so great, so refreshed, that you'll be ready for that second slice of coffee cake in no time. 

I mean, who doesn’t love popsicles? They’re cool, refreshing, and you can make them out of just about everything. The ice pops I’m going to be making are even healthy.

What You'll Need:

1 cup spinach, packed

1 mango

1 banana

1 cup fruit juice (something lightly colored - I used Dole Mango, Peach, Banana juice) 

A blender

It probably could not be any easier to make these ice pops. Simply take your spinach, banana, mango, and juice and combine them in a blender. 30 seconds in my new NutriBullet and these pops are ready to freeze. 

Pour the combined ingredients in your popsicle molds, secure the tops, and pop them in the freezer for a few hours. 

As I was making these I was thinking to myself, "Why don't I make ice pops more often? They're incredibly easy to make and they taste great." Only when I tried to pop the ice pops out of the molds did I realize why I don't make ice pops more often. With three pop-less sticks sitting on my counter, I had one chance left to get this popsicle out of its mold and in one piece. 

Luckily, I was able to wiggle that last pop out of its mold.

And let me tell you, these popsicles were DELICIOUS. Who would have thought that frozen, blended up spinach would taste great? Certainly not someone whose desserts normally consist of coffee cake. But here I am, frozen spinach in hand, waiting for that grass in front of me to turn the same color green as the ice pop. 

After finishing my ice pop I turned to my mother to see if she could bestow any of her ice pop knowledge upon me. I remember making an ice pop or two when I was a kid so I figured she MUST have some insider tips to get the rest of them out. The one tip she gave me was so simple, yet so perfect - 

"Uhhh... Just dip the mold in warm water for a few seconds."

Of course it worked perfectly. Moral of the story, every now and then you just have to suck it up and ask your mother for help, even if you know that her response will be sarcastic.

Apple Cider Caramel Sauce

by: Amy Weinberg


Spring is coming.

"To get Spring, you must be willing to endure Winter" - A quote said by many different people, in many different ways, throughout many different time periods. 

I remember having to walk my friends though the meaning of that one after I tweeted it years ago. Well, anyone who is reading this is alive and (hopefully) well, and that means you were able to endure Winter. So, congratulations! It helped that this Winter was like a vacation in the Bahamas compared to Winter last year. Regardless, we all endured which means that soon we will be able to bask in the glory that is Spring. 

Yes, apple cider is a fall drink and yes, I drink it to celebrate the coming of Spring. As long as my grocery store keeps selling it fresh, I'll keep buying it. And what pairs better with apples than caramel? Today I'm celebrating the coming of spring and warmth with this Apple Cider Caramel sauce. 

What You'll Need:

2 cups apple cider 

1 cup brown sugar

4 tbsp. butter

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. apple pie spice

1/2 tsp. kosher sea salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract 

First you have to boil down the apple cider. Place 2 cups in a small saucepan and boil for about 10-15 minutes. A good half of the apple cider should be evaporated at this point. Next, remove the pan from heat and stir in the brown sugar, butter, cream, cinnamon, and apple pie spice. 

Return to heat and let simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Remember that sauces thicken as they cool! That being said, you'll definitely want to mix and thicken this up a bit before refrigerating. After reaching an ideal thickness, remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and salt.

Once the sauce cools a little bit, you'll be safe to seal in an airtight jar or container. Store in the refrigerator until use. 

The sauce may separate a tiny bit in the fridge. In this case, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds and mix it back together. No, this is not in fact raspberry preserves. Yes, we recycle in the Weinberg household. 

I used this sauce on an Original Cinnamon Walnut coffee cake because it is what I had in the house. This sauce would be perfect with a number of our cakes, including the Cinnamon No-Nut, the Granny Smith Apple, and the Chocolate Chip Walnut. Try out this sauce with any one of our cakes and get ready for a great Spring! 

Cyber Monday Continues: 2 Recipes for the Price of 1!

By: Amy Weinberg

This time of the year is all about a good deal (among a few other things), and what better deal than a 2 for 1? Entering Winter means leaving behind the pumpkins and picking up just about everything else. But because we do love pumpkin so much in this country, I have for you 2 INCREDIBLY easy sauces to begin the pumpkin swan song.

There are few flavor combinations out there that are more flavorful, and more classic than pumpkin and chocolate.

Chocolate ganache is one of those things you hear about everywhere but sounds way fancier and more complicated than it really is. All you really need is some chocolate, heavy cream, and a set of eyeballs. The first, and basically only, step is to boil a cup of the heavy cream over medium high heat. You need to make sure to watch the pot because as soon as the cream starts to boil, it'll boil right out of the pot (this is where your eyeballs will come in handy). Once the cream starts to boil, pour it over 9oz of semi-sweet chocolate morsels and mix until completely combined. 

Let that settle in the fridge for a few minutes and viola! Fancy chocolate ganache. 

In the few minutes the ganache is in the fridge, you be able to quickly whip up the second sauce. I swear, these have to be the 2 simplest ways to take our coffee cakes to an even higher level. The maple pecan glaze may be even easier to make. The recipe call for a whole 3 ingredients: maple syrup, powdered sugar, and pecans. First, pour 2-3 tablespoons of maple syrup into a bowl and gradually start mixing in the sugar. Once it is completely mixed and you have the right maple-to-sugar ratio for your taste, let it hang out with the chocolate ganache in the fridge for a few minutes. The outcome will be a beautiful neutral color to match my neutral colored countertop and yellow kitchen lighting. 

While your sauces chill, finely chop up a handful of pecans to top off your dessert. Once your sauces are chilled and your pecans are chopped, use a spoon to drizzle on to the pumpkin spice coffee cake. 

I decorated the chocolate ganache slice with some whipped cream and white chocolate. 

And whipped cream and pecans for your maple pumpkin dessert! 

Delightful Delectables: Pumpkin Meringue

By: Amy Weinberg

'Tis the season for pumpkin, am I right? In a world where pumpkin rules the months of September, October, and November, blogging without this orange fruit almost felt blasphemous. 

I decided to take a swing at some meringue after seeing an adorable pumpkin meringue recipe online. I've only every experienced meringue on top of pies and didn't even know that it could stand on its own as a cookie. 

Meringue is not as complicated as one may think. With only 4 simple ingredients, the only headache you'll run into is the preparation. As is the case with most baking, patience is key. Patience will transform OK meringue into thick, stiff, beautiful peaks. Patience is something I do not have. 

Along with your patience, the other 4 ingredients you will need are 2 eggs,  1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/2 cup sugar, and food coloring. 

Step 1: Preheat your over to 275 degrees and place wax paper on a cookie sheet.

Step 2: Separate the yolk from the whites and mix the egg whites in a bowl with the cream of tartar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium-high until stiff peaks begin to form.

**This is when you will find out if you really have patience**

You will beat and beat and beat until you can hardly hold the mixer and you still may not see results. I can't even give you an accurate timeframe of how long it will take for the stiff peaks to form. Let's just say, don't attempt this recipe when you're pinched for time. 

Note: If there is ANY trace of yolk mixed in with the whites, you will not get those highly-covetted stiff peaks. 

Step 3: Slowly (1 teaspoon at a time) beat in all of the sugar until your mixture is stiff and glossy.

Step 4: Gently fold in your food dye and place your mixture into a pastry bag.

Step 5: Step 5 is piping your meringue onto the cookie sheet in a pumpkin form. This is where the recipe lost me. While my peaks were stiff and my meringue was holding, I had no idea how to pipe it into the form of a pumpkin. 

Step 6: Bake your cookies for 40 minutes. Once the 40 minutes is up, turn off your oven, but LEAVE IN your meringue for another hour. 

Some of you may be thinking "Hey Amy, your meringue came out looking not so pumpkin-like, can you eat them at least?"and the short answer is yes. Long answer? I personally put meringue I the same category as fondant: edible for all, enjoyable for few. 

In order to jazz these up a bit and avoid having the cookies look like orange-brown blobs, I decided to use them as a cake topper. I grabbed the closest My Grandma's Pumpkin Spice coffee cake and some cream cheese frosting and went to work. 

All in all, if someone can show me how to make a pumpkin out of meringue, I'll show you a pretty sweet cake topper. 

Stay Connected With Grandma- Introducing Bloglovin & All The Ways To Follow!

by Maggie Kelleher

Boy, do we have an update for you!

As you might already know, we have been working diligently to beef up our blog this summer, as a way to connect with, entertain, and help all of our fantastic friends and customers.