Sandra Lee's Bake Sale: Part 1

Ronda L. Halpin
Sandra Lee

Bake sales are a treasured part of America, past and present. In times of need, communities band together and share their love of sweets and more and dig a little deeper to support one another and their favorite causes. In keeping with this tradition, Food Network favorite host and writer, Sandra Lee, presents her newest cookbook later this month. Sandra Lee Bake Sale Cookbook, by Sandra Lee, is available on March 29 and, in honor of its release, Sandra will be hosting the World’s Largest Bake Sale on March 29, 2011 at Grand Central Terminal featuring some of the most celebrated chefs and restaurants, with all proceeds benefiting NY Food Banks. This event will be the impetus for bakers from every state in the country to host charitable bakes sales simultaneously that day.

And there's more to love: fifty percent of the future royalties from the book are going to support Feeding America® and Share Our Strength ® No Kid Hungry™, encouraging Americans to host Bake Sales to help end childhood hunger. So enjoy some tempting treats from the pages of the new book over the next few weeks and then help yourself to a copy of all 165 blue-ribbon worthy sweet and savory recipes perfect for bake sales. You can now have your cake, cupcakes, cookies, cobblers, and savory bites and eat them too! Enjoy!

Pizza Squares

Top a bread shell with your favorite toppings, bake, then cut into small squares.
  • Yields: 8-10 servings
  • Preparation Time: 15 minutes

 

 

 

Chocolate-Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

  • 1 package (18.25 ounces) butter-recipe chocolate cake mix, Betty Crocker®
  • 1 1/3 cups cranberry-cherry juice, Ocean Spray®
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup cherry pie filling, Comstock® or Wilderness®
  • 1 1/4 cups white baking chips, Nestlé®
  • 7 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons light-color corn syrup, Karo®
  • 1 1/4 cups whipped fluffy white frosting, Duncan Hines®
  • 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips, Nestlé®
  • 1 jar (10 ounces) maraschino cherries with stems, drained
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line twenty-four 21/2-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups; set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat cake mix, cranberry-cherry juice, butter, and eggs with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Scrape down side of bowl; beat for 2 minutes on medium. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the batter into each prepared muffin cup. Spoon 1 teaspoon of the cherry pie filling on batter in each cup; top with another 1 tablespoon of the batter.
  3. Bake for 12 to 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin cups; cool completely on rack.
  4. For white frosting, place white baking chips in a medium bowl; set aside. In a small saucepan, heat cream and corn syrup over medium heat until nearly boiling. Pour over white baking chips; stir until completely smooth. Let stand for 10 minutes. Stir cream mixture into white frosting until well mixed; set aside.
  5. In a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave semisweet chocolate chips on medium for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Place maraschino cherries on paper towels to dry. Dip each dry cherry into melted semisweet chocolate; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheet until chocolate hardens.
  6. Frost each cupcake with white chocolate frosting; top with a chocolate-covered cherry.
  • Yields: 24 cupcakes
  • Preparation Time: 90 minutes

White Chocolate Peppermint Truffles

  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 6 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted, Domino®/C&H®
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract, McCormick®
  • 1 1/2 bars (4 ounces each; 6 ounces total) white chocolate baking bar, Ghirardelli®
  • 7 peppermint starlight mints, crushed, Brach’s® Star Brites®
  1. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray; set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium about 1 minute or until fluffy. Add half the powdered sugar, the water, and peppermint extract. Beat on low for 30 seconds. Add the remaining powdered sugar; beat until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap; chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.
  3. Scoop 1 tablespoon of the peppermint mixture into your slightly wet hands; form into a smooth ball. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat to make 14 balls, rinsing hands when mixture becomes too sticky to roll. Chill in freezer for 1 hour.
  4. In a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave white chocolate bar on medium for 11/2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring every 30 seconds. Using a fork, spear a peppermint ball; hold over the bowl of melted white chocolate. Using a spoon, drizzle the melted white chocolate over ball until well coated. Carefully slide truffle back onto baking sheet. Sprinkle truffle with crushed starlight mints. Repeat with the remaining peppermint balls. Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Note: To store truffles, layer between pieces of waxed paper in an airtight container. Cover; seal. Truffles will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.
  • Yields: 14 truffles
  • Preparation Time: 3 hours

All recipes excerpted from the book, Sandra Lee Bake Sale Cookbook, by Sandra Lee
Copyright © 2011 SLSH Enterprises, Inc. www.sandralee.com

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