Crazy Sweet Tuesday & Roul'Pat Giveaway!

Welcome to Crazy Sweet Tuesday, where a funny intro line is eluding me. BUT I'm going to bring you free stuff and fun sweets!

Before we start the party, I have another giveaway for you!

Did you see my Butterscotch Pecan Pies yesterday? I mentioned how much I loved my newest kitchen gadget - my Roul'Pat, made by the makers of Silpat. It's that amazing non-stick baking mat that can turn any surface into the perfect place to roll out cookie dough or pie crust or pizza dough, with no additional flour or mess.

You know you want one.

So, enter to win one! The makers of Roul'Pat have generously allowed me to give away one of their half-size Roul'Pats to a Crazy for Crust reader! Good luck! {Open to U.S. residents only.}

a Rafflecopter giveaway


{You can find Silpat on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube. For more information on the Roul'Pat, click here.}

And now, onto the delicious features from last week:

Banana Pudding Cupcakes by Shaken Together {Banana goodness if you ask me.}

Glazed Doughnut Bread Pudding by French Press {Best. Breakfast. Ever.}

World's Best Caramel Brownies by Wine and Glue {Chocolate and caramel party, anyone?}

Easy Microwave Cheesecakes For Two by Pink Recipe Box {Can't wait to make this!}

Biscoff Minute Mug Cake by Something Swanky {A new addiction, I know it.}

Blueberry Maple Cupcakes by Fort Mill SC Living {Maple makes me want Fall badly!}

I know we all do tons of parties each week. That's a huge commitment on both sides, from the hostess and the attendees. Which is why I love when I see that everyone has been clicking on some of the links and partying with each participant! So I'm announcing a new feature to Crazy Sweet Tuesday - the most clicked link!

The sinful dessert with the most clicks from last week was...

Really Fudgy Brownies by The Alchemist. Don't they look so good?

Thanks for partying with me last week! If only we could have a real party where we all brought real treats. And lots of muumuus.

Let's start the sweetness!

{Remeber...SWEETS only!}

Winner, winner come get your prize!

Wait...you're looking for Crazy Sweet Tuesday? Scroll down...

The winner of the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! #ToastRedCarpet prize pack is...

Linda· 5 days ago

What a sweet dessert. Loving your creativity. I am your newest follower.
My recent post Chris Madden Collection

Linda, from Life and Linda, you're the winner!

Thanks for entering the contest Linda! I'll get all your info and your prize will be on it's way to you.

Have a wonderful day everyone. Scroll down and link up at the party. Satisfy your sweet tooth!

Red Carpet Viewing Party #ToastRedCarpet

Hey everyone!

I hope you're having an awesome weekend. The Oscars are tonight and I'm super excited to watch.

But the best part of the Oscars is the red carpet, right? Don't forget that I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Is hosting a red carpet event today on Facebook, at 3:00 PST, hosted by Brooke Burke, Carson Kressley, and Molly Sims, with Hollywood-Inspired recipes by Katie Lee. You won't want to miss this first-of-its-kind online red carpet viewing party. Will you watch along with me?

Click here for the link to the party!

If you want to follow along with the party, be sure to check out the chatter on Twitter at #ToastRedCarpet.

And you still have until tomorrow to enter my giveaway, sponsored by I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! You can win some pretty cool stuff! Click here to enter!

See you tomorrow with more fun recipes! I'm rooting for The Help, how about you? (Of course, since I have a kid and no babysitting, it's the only one I saw. That and Breaking Dawnm, Part 1, which totally should have been nominated.)

Cookies 'n Birthday Cake Fudge

Last week at Walmart I was walking to the checker when I saw these:

It was like the sky opened up and the heavens glowed and angels sang.

I knew I had to make some thing with them. Otherwise I would eat the whole package at once.

So I made fudge. Because making fudge is the obvious way to avoid eating an entire package of cookies.

I've never made cooked fudge before. I've always been all "pshaw...why would I make boiled fudge and have to use my candy thermometer when I could just make it easy, those people who do all that work have way too much time on their hands." (Totally thought without judgement. I'm not that kind of person. No really, I'm not.)

And then I made this fudge. And I apologize. For the way I thought about cooked fudge. I am eating my humble pie now.

It's awesome. It's great. It's sweet and good and all that is right with the world.

And I can eat a ton of it. Because I made it with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, so it has less fat and calories and I can add a bag of Birthday Cake Oreos and eat 17 pieces and not feel sick.

**The giveaway is now closed**

Recently the people at I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! contacted me. They wanted to give away some cool stuff to my readers.

Of course I said yes. I love my readers. They deserve cool stuff.

The Acadamy Awards are on Sunday. Are you going to watch? I love award shows, all of them. I can get a little obsessed. It doesn't matter the only movie I saw was the Help.

I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! is throwing a Red Carpet Viewing Party on Facebook on the big day, this Sunday the 26th.  There's going to be a roundtable discussion with some of Hollywood's biggest stars and a food and wine expert "known for her delicious recipes."

I have no idea who the star is. I'm hoping for Bethanny. Or Rachael Ray. Or Martha. Who doesn't love Martha??

If you want to follow along with the party, be sure to check out the chatter on Twitter at #ToastRedCarpet.

**UPDATE: Don't miss the show! It's a red carpet event hosted by Brooke Burke, Carson Kressley, and Molly Sims and Katie Lee! It's from 3:00-4:30 PST this Sunday on the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Facebook page. Click here for the link.**

It's a really cool prize pack. A silver tray, four champagne flutes, some "toast" coasters (they really look like toast!) a cheese spreader, and a coupon for a free tub of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Pretty cool prizes, if you ask me. I hope you'll enter!


Contest runs through Monday, February 27th. Winner will be announced Tuesday the 28th. US entries only, please.


**The giveaway is now closed**


How to enter:

1. Leave a comment here. Something sweet and nice. 
2. Do you follow me? Leave me a separate comment and tell me how you follow (GFC? RSS? ABCD? Just kidding on that last one. LOL)
3. Follow me on Twitter (@crazyforcrust) and come back and leave a separate comment telling me you do.

This fudge would be a great addition to your Academy Awards party, if you're having one.  Or, you know, you could just be like me and eat handfuls of it while watching The Amazing Race or The Biggest Loser.

Just a suggestion.

(Oh, in case you missed it...**The giveaway is now closed**)

Cookies 'n Birthday Cake Fudge

by Crazy for Crust (Recipe adapted from Kraft)

Keywords: oreo white chocolate fudge

6017866

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! spread (or regular butter)
• 3 cups sugar
• 5 ounces (2/3 cup) evaporated milk
• 1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme
• 1 package (12 ounces) white chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 package Birthday Cake Oreos

Instructions

1. Line a 9x9" pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. (If you like a thinner fudge, use a 9x13" pan.) Coarsely chop your Oreos.
2. Add sugar, evaporated milk, and butter to a large pot over medium heat. Bring to a rapid boil and cook for 4 minutes, stirring constantly (234 degrees on a candy thermometer).
3. Add marshmallow creme and white chocolate. Stir until melted. Add vanilla and chopped cookies. Pour into prepared pan. Chill until hardened and cut into squares.

Powered by Recipage

Fine print: this giveaway is sponsored by I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! They sent me the gifts I am sharing with you. My idea for the fudge and opinions of it are all my own! Unfortunately I cannot ship international with this giveaway, so sorry about that. But you love me anyway, right?

Have a Linky Party you want me to join? Add it HERE.

These are the fabulous parties I link to each week:

Monday: Mingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Joy of Desserts, Creative Monday (Clairejustineoxox), Mix it Up Monday (Flour Me With Love), Things that make you say mmmm Monday (Cooking with Karyn), Mop it Up Mondays (I should be mopping the floors), Show me what you got (Our Delightful Home). Tuesday: 2 Maids a Baking (2 Maids a Milking), Tea Party Tuesdays (Sweetology), Mushki Loves My Stuff (Mushki Loves), Totally Tasty Tuesdays (Mandy's Recipe Box), Talent Show Tuesday (Chef in Training), Trick or Treat Tuesday (Inside BruCrew Life), Let's Do Brunch (My Sweet & Savory), One Stop Shop Linky (The Southern Product Queen). Wednesday: Mrs. Fox's Sweet Party (Mrs. Fox's Sweets) Made It On Monday (Lark's Country Heart), This Chick Cooks, Cast Party Wednesday (Lady Behind the Curtain), Famous Linkz Par-tay (Made-Famous-By), Bakes with Bizzy (Bizzy Bakes), Whip it Up Wednesday (Crockpot Ladies).  Thursday: Sweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls), Turning the Table Thursdays (Around My Family Table), Tasty Thursday (The How-To Mommy), Tastetastic Thursday (A little nosh), Sweet Temptations (Talking Dollars and Cents), Taking a Timeout Thursday (Mom on Timeout), Things I've Done Thursday (BearRabbitBear), (RHW Recipe Round-Up) The Real Housewives of Riverton, BFF Open House (The Answer is Chocolate), Recipe Round Up (Eat, Pray, Read, Love). Friday: Sweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son), I'm Lovin' it Fridays (TidyMom), Friday Favorites (Simply Sweet Home), Latest & Greatest Friday (Days of Chalk and Chocolate), Bacon Time, Fusion Friday (Jane Deere Blog), Foodie Friday (Not Your Ordinary Recipes), Dwell on Joy, Fun Finds Friday (Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons). Saturday: Country Mom Cooks, Sweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies), Seasonal Inspiration (Crumbs and Chaos), You inspire me (Polka Dot Pretties). Sunday: A Well-Seasoned Life,Sharing Sundays (Everyday Sisters), Strut your Stuff Saturday (Six Sisters' Stuff), Recipe Party (The Sweet Spot), Seasonal/Occasional Linkys: Moms Crazy Cooking, Southern Mom Cooks, Cheap Crafty Momma, Susie QT

Winner, Winner, Dessert for Dinner...

And the winner of the Sam's Club $25 gift card is....

Jess from Life's Simple Measures! Congrats Jess on your prize.

And, guess what? I decided to give away two gift cards!

The second winner is...

The almost-last-comment...Susan at The Weekly Sweet Experiment.

Congrats ladies! Be sure to let me know your mailing info ASAP and I'll mail your cards and one-day pass to you.

Happy New Year's everyone! Stay safe tonight.  I'll be back on Monday with some yummy treats.

Caramel Apple Hand Pies (and a giveaway!)

Yesterday was my one year blogiversary! I really can't believe it's been a whole year of baking and posting.  It's been so amazing (virtually) meeting so many other bloggers and finding a place in such a great community.

A year ago I was in a strange place. My daughter had just started Kindergarten and I kept getting asked about what I was going to do now that she was in school. I knew I didn't want to go back to teaching. I wanted to continue staying home, but also I wanted to find something for me. Everything I'd been doing for the previous five years had been about my daughter. I knew I wanted to be doing something creative, but had no idea what.

Now, one year later, I know what my passion is. I know what I want to do when I grow up. Baking and blogging make me happy. Sure, spending time with my daughter does too, but there is something about spending time creating food and writing about it that is magical for me. I don't know what sort of a job I'll be in five years from now but I do know that it will, in some way, include my baking and this blog. Thank you all for continuing on this journey with me.

Now I may not admit this openly, (oops, I'm about to) but I love presents on birthdays and anniversaries.  (Come on, you know you all think that way too...right?) So because it's my blogiversary...I'm giving you a present!

I saw this cute petite pie maker at Sur la Table last month. I had to have one. I mean, it makes personal pies. How could I not have one? And, I grabbed two because I knew I'd want to share one with you all, my readers.

It's super simple to use - just roll out your pie dough and press to cut cute little scalloped circles. Fill with any filling and press again to seal. Bake and eat. It's a perfect individual dessert maker.

I made caramel apple pies with mine. Apple is one of my favorite pies and it's that time of year - caramel apple time. (And yes, I did use a fork to eat mine. Makes it last longer.)

Want to win this cute petite pie maker? (I mean, why wouldn't you? It presses a heart into the dough!)

****The giveaway is now closed****

You have four ways to enter this giveaway:

1. Leave a comment here. Any comment at all.
2. Do you follow me somehow? On Google Friend Connect, RSS, Facebook, or Twitter? Leave a separate comment and let me know. (Just once for any/all of the listed methods.)
3. Tweet this giveaway (include @crazyforcrust in your tweet) and then come back here and leave another comment saying you did.
4. Blog or post to Facebook about this giveaway, linking to this page. Then come back here and leave a comment to let me know you did.

Giveaway is open until the end of the day on Sunday, September 25th. I will pick a winner using random.org and announce it on Monday, September 26th.

Caramel Apple Hand Pies

Crust recipe by AllRecipes, filling recipe by Crazy for Crust

Ingredients:
1 refrigerated pie crust (from a box of two) OR use the following recipe for crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, diced and chilled
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup ice water
2 Granny Smith apples
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon water
1 tablespoon tapioca (for thickening), optional
2 tablespoons caramel sauce

Directions:

1. Add the flour and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse once to combine. Add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture becomes coarse. Add the water slowly, one tablespoon at a time, while running the machine until dough comes together in a ball. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Peel and slice the apples thin. Place them, with 1 teaspoon of water, in a skillet over medium-low heat. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Cook for 3 minutes until the apples just begin to lose their very white color. Drain off excess liquid. Stir in tapioca if you are using it. Set aside.
3. Roll out your crust on a floured surface. Open the petite pie press completely and place it, scalloped side down, on the crust. Punch out two circles. Place one circle in the bottom half of the press. Add half the apple filling. Top with 1 tablespoon of caramel sauce. Place the second crust round on top and press the lid down. You may need to use a little water to help seal the edges. Repeat with rest of crust.  Bake at 350 degrees about 25 minutes. Serve warm (with ice cream, if desired).

*If you don't have a petite pie maker you can do the same thing by pressing out two circles of crust, adding your filling to the center and then use a fork to press the edges together.

Yield: 2 hand pies

Fine Print: I was not compensated in any way for this giveaway. I just wanted to give you all something I like. But hey, Sur la Table, if you're listening I'm always open to a sponsored giveaway! ;)

This recipe may be linked with:

Monday: Mingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Joy of Desserts. Tuesday: 2 Maids a Baking (2 Maids a Milking), Tea Party Tuesdays (Sweetology). Wednesday: Cast Party Wednesday, Made It On Monday (Lark's Country Heart), This Chick Cooks.  Thursday: Sweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls), Turning the Table Thursdays (Around My Family Table), Tasty Thursday (The How-To Mommy). Friday: Sweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son), I'm Lovin' it Fridays (TidyMom), Friday Favorites (Simply Sweet Home), Fusion Fridays (Jane Deere). Saturday: Sweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies), Seasonal Inspiration (Crumbs and Chaos). Sunday: A Well-Seasoned Life,Sharing Sundays (Everyday Sisters)

***The giveaway is now closed.****

And the Sur la Table Gift Card Winner Is...

And we have a winner of the Sur la Table gift card!

Comment #22!

{Okay I did the whole Random.org widget thing, hit generate, it said number 22, and then the number disappeared. I guess I have to practice it a little more. BUT the winner is number 22 and that means...}

The winner is...

erin said...

I follow you on facebook.

August 8, 2011 12:37 PM 

Erin!

Congratulations Erin! Send me your info and the Sur la Table gift card will be on its way to you.

I like this whole giveaway thing. I just might have to do it more often! :)

Happy Weekend everyone!

"Pie" Cookies (and more!)

I can't believe it. This is my 100th post.

And, as an added (unplanned but lucky) bonus, I hit 100 followers yesterday on Google Friend Connect.

Amazing, really. I'm speechless.

If you'd asked me a year ago, when this blog was still in my head and not out in the world, would I think I'd make 100 posts, I would have laughed. I probably would have said "Yeah right, what would I have to say for 100 posts?"

I guess I proved myself wrong.

I want to thank you, my readers, for reading my posts. My words. This blog has given me a new passion for something I've loved to do all my life. Now, when I watch Cupcake Wars, I take notes instead of just spectate. Making it to 100 posts is a milestone for me - because this means I know I can make it to 200 and beyond. I'm not doubting myself anymore.

So let's celebrate, shall we?

{Drumroll...}

I'm having my first giveaway!

One lucky reader will win a $25 gift card to Sur la table!

I'll get into the details below. But first, if we're having a party shouldn't there be treats?

How about some pie? I mean cookies? No, wait, pie???

There's blueberry or cherry lattice pie.

Or how about pumpkin pie or banana cream?

A friend of mine introduced me to this method of decorating. She had made "pie" cupcakes at MOPS meeting and showed them to me after. I thought they were the cutest things ever and filed the method away to do at a later time. When I started thinking about this post, I figured, why not use cookies?

I used my favorite sugar cookie and icing recipes (see below). The filling is made from M&Ms.

The pie crust was piped using a #102 tip and the whipped cream was a #18 tip. These were so much fun to make. Even my daughter got in on the fun (and ended up covering her whole pie with "whipped cream" and then the rest of the M&Ms so it was a "do you want some cookie with that icing" pie).

So, now on to the fun part: the giveaway.

**Updated: Giveaway is now closed. Thank you all for participating!**

I love Sur la table. It's my favorite store. I can shop there for hours. (If you've never heard of it, it's a kitchen store very similar to Williams-Sonoma.) Whenever I duck into Sur la table "just to get something quick," my husband knows to find something else to do for a good long while. So I'm giving you some shopping fun in the form of a $25 gift card to my favorite store! (You can use the gift card for online purchases if you don't have a store near you.)

Want to win this gift card?

All you have to do is be a follower or subscriber of this blog and leave a comment below answering the question:

What is your favorite dessert?

Want extra entries? Leave a separate comment here for each entry!

1. Like me on Facebook (and then come back here and leave a comment telling me so).

2. Follow me on Twitter (and then come back here and leave a comment telling me you're a follower).

3. Repost this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook, then leave another comment here telling me you reposted. (Please include @crazyforcrust in your tweet!)

Fine Print:

Comments will close Friday, August 12, 2011.  No comments posted after that time will be included. Winner will be chosen via random.org and announced Saturday, August 13th. If you do not have an email address attached to your comment be sure to check back to see if you've won!

Good luck! And thanks for reading for 100 posts!

**Updated: Giveaway is now closed. Thank you all for participating!**

(Note: there is a print link embedded in the footer of this post. Please visit the post to print.)

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ¼ cups powdered sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1.       Combine all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer (or in a large bowl if using hand mixer). Beat at medium speed, scraping the sides as needed, until well mixed (about 3-4 minutes). Separate dough into 2 pieces and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate about 1 hour, until firm enough to roll.

2.       Preheat oven to 375°. Roll out dough on a well-floured surface to ¼ inch thickness. Cut with desired cookie cutters. Place on parchment lined cookie sheets.

3.       Bake 6-10 minutes, depending on size of cookies. I find it best to bake one sheet at a time and rotate it 180° halfway through baking. Start your baking time at 3 minutes, rotate, and then estimate about how long they will take to cook. Cool completely.

Frosting

Ingredients:

4 cups powdered sugar

½ cup butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 to 4 tablespoons milk

Food color, if desired

Directions:

Combine powdered sugar, ½ cup butter, and vanilla in a large bowl. Mix slowly with a hand mixer, adding enough milk for desired consistency. Add food coloring if you want tinted frosting. Decorate cookies.

To make "Pie" Cookies:

Separate frosting into two bowls. Tint one bowl with brown food coloring and the other with white (for pure white  "whipped cream"). Add to decorating bags. Spread a little frosting on each cookie and top with colored M&Ms for desired "filling." Pipe pie crust edge and lattice with brown frosting or whipped cream with white. Chill to harden.

Source: Recipe from Land O’ Lakes

This recipe will be linked with:

Monday: Mingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Joy of Desserts. Tuesday: 2 Maids a Baking (2 Maids a Milking). Wednesday: Cast Party Wednesday, Made It On Monday (Lark's Country Heart), This Chick Cooks.  Thursday: Sweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls). Friday: Sweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son).