Ingredients
for the topping
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup diced pecans
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature

for the filling
3 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

for the muffins
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
3/4 cup milk, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup cinnamon chips

Directions
Preheat your oven to 400F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake papers, or grease it lightly.

Prepare the topping by mixing the brown sugar, pecans, oats and flour together. Using a fork, mix in the softened sugar until crumbly. Set aside.

Prepare the filling by mixing together the softened butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Set it aside.

To make the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, milk, and eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, including the chips. Add the dry mixture to the liquid, stirring just until combined.

Divide half the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Dollop 2 teaspoons cinnamon filling onto each muffin, then top with the remaining batter. Sprinkle with topping, pressing it in lightly.

Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they’re golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and wait 5 minutes before transferring them from the pan to a rack to cool.

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Mango-Pineapple Salsa with Homemade Tortilla Chips

Ingredients
2 ripe mango, peeled, cored and diced small (about 2 cups)
2 cups diced pineapple
1/2 cup minced red onion
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Salt, to taste

Directions
Mix together all of the ingredients and season with salt, to taste.

The salsa can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

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Ingredients
for the chocolate cupcakes
4 1/2 ounces high-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour

for the raspberry butter cream frosting
1 cup butter softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon raspberry extract
3/4 cup raspberry puree
12 fresh raspberries
fresh mint (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare a muffin pan with liners.

In the top part of a double boiler over very hot, but not simmering, water, or in a microwave at medium power, melt the chocolate. Remove from the heat or the oven, and let stand, stirring often, until cool.

Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle blade on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. On low speed, beat in the confectioners’ sugar. Return the speed to medium-high and beat until light in color and texture, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the chocolate and vanilla.

Beat the egg whites and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed just until they form soft, shiny peaks. Do not overbeat. Stir about one fourth of the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whites, leaving a few visible wisps of whites. Sift half of the flour over the chocolate mixture, and fold in with a rubber spatula. Repeat with the remaining flour.

Fill the lined muffin cups three-quarters full, being careful not to overfill. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean, about 20-22 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make your frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and shortening. Slowly add in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Blend in salt and extracts. Stir in raspberry puree and continue to mix until your butter cream is smooth and is piping consistency. Pipe a generous amount of frosting on each cupcake. Garnish with fresh raspberries and mint (optional).

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Ingredients
for the tart shell
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, diced
6 tablespoons (or more) ice water

For the caramel
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons butter

Instructions
Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and shortening and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 6 tablespoons ice water and process until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather into ball, then flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 425F. Prepare an 11-inch tart pan with baking spray or grease lightly.

Roll out dough to a 14 inch square and arrange in your pan, folding over the edges. Line with parchment paper and pie weights and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove weights and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes until tart shell is lightly golden.

While the crust is baking, make the caramel sauce. In a large heavy pan add the sugar and heat over medium heat. When the edges start to caramelize, use a whisk to stir everything together. When the sugar has melted, add the cream. It will initially seize up, but just keep stirring over low heat until the sauce is smooth. This can take up to 5-7 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the butter to the caramel, whisking until sooth. Set the caramel aside.

Peel and slice the bananas into 1/2 inch slices vertically (you can also cut them lengthwise horizontally to create a different look).

Pour 2/3rds of the caramel over the tart. Arrange the bananas over the caramel. Drizzle the last 3rd of the caramel over the top of the bananas, and use a spoon or off-set spatula to try and smooth the caramel over the bananas evenly.

Bake another 8-10 minutes until everything has melted together. Let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or cooled (tastes great with vanilla ice cream!)

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Ingredients
for the cookie dough
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely diced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

for the icing and decorating
1/4 lemon juice
2 cups confectioners sugar
a drop of yellow food coloring gel (optional)
rosemary needles

Directions
In mixing bowl, cream together unsalted butter, sugar and egg until light and fluffy. Beat in lemon juice, lemon extract, rosemary and lemon zest. Add in flour, baking powder, orange juice and salt until smooth and well combined. Chill in refrigerator 2-3 hours or until firm enough to be rolled.

Preheat over to 400F. Roll out half of the dough on a well floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness (be careful to get the surface even, otherwise you will have oddly-browned cookies. Also, do not roll the dough to thin, otherwise you will have hard cookies when they come out of the oven).

Cut with triangle shaped cookie cutters. Place on cookie sheet lined with silpat or onto parchment paper. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown at the edges. Cool completely on a wire rack.

To decorate, whisk together lemon juice and confectioners sugar in a small bowl. Using a food safe paint brush, color the cookies with the frosting, then arrange a few rosemary needles on each. Let harden before placing in an airtight container for storage (up for 1 week).

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