Mojito Granita with Blackberry Cream

This heat calls for a snow cone. Oh, wait....Now that I'm an adult AND married to an Italian, I can call it a Granita! Today's post has to be one of my all time favorites. I have an obsession with mojitos. I also may–or may not be–a little tipsy right now. Maybe it's the mint & lime, or the hint of sugar that gets me, but mojitos are far and above my favorite cocktail. (I also happen to think they are the official drink of every fun night out.) Seeing as it's in the 80's this weekend in NYC, my challenge for this post was to create a delicious dessert without turning the oven on. This granita is a no-fuss, ready-when-you-are dessert, and perfect for summer entertaining.

Back when I lived in Texas, visiting the local snow cone stand was a daily ritual. In fact, my father even built a short-lived snow cone stand called the Sno-Shack where several of us Hurson kids spent summer days flagging down customers and stealing our own product, but thats an entirely different story. As a kid, one of my favorite flavors of snow cone was blackberry. One stand even topped theirs with a little bit of cream, which I consider a very tasty decision. This cream inspired my blackberry cream topping on the mojito granita. Although it's an optional topping, it adds an elegant texture and sweetness to the granita. Plus, it looks really pretty. That's reason enough to include it, isn't it?

Mojito Granita with Blackberry Cream
INGREDIENTS
Granita
¾ cup sugar
½ cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon lime zest
3 cups water
½ cup white rum
1 cup mint leaves (reserve the best leaves for garnish)

Blackberry Whipped Cream
1 six-ounce container of blackberries, rinsed
1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar 

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the sugar, lime zest and lime juice in a small bowl. Stir until sugar is dissolved, then pour into a blender. Add the water, rum and mint leaves to the blender, and puree for about 30 seconds or until the mint is finely chopped. 

2. Pour the liquid into a pie plate and place in the freezer. Scrape the mixture every hour with a fork to break up the ice crystals. After about 5 hours, you'll have mojito ice flakes. 

3. Whip heavy cream in a stand mixer until peaks form. Mix in confectioners sugar. Puree blackberries in a food processor or blender and strain into whipped cream. Discard solids. Fold blackberry puree into whipped cream. 

4. Scoop granita into small bowls or martini glasses. Place a large dollop of the blackberry cream on top and garnish with reserved mint leaves.

Get the recipe card HERE

Almost Healthy Granola Bars!

People often ask me how I manage to stay relatively thin considering the sheer volume of sweets I consume. The honest truth is I have good genes (thanks, Mom). The other truth is that I run. Now, I would hardly consider myself a "runner", but I like to tell myself that running permits me to eat an extra serving of cookie dough. In 2 weeks, I will earn the right to eat the entire bowl of cookie dough, as I'm running my first half-marathon, the Brooklyn Half. Over the past couple of months, I've been training and considering what foods are best eaten before a long run. My conclusion is that granola bars reign supreme, so I've decided to go ahead and make some of my own. My research also led me to the extremely popular chia seed, which apparently is a superfood, filled with Omega-3's and plenty of energy. They also add a nice crunch. "Chia" is actually the Mayan word for strength. I also happen to love Chia Pets (not sure if there is any relation, here) but needless to say, my granola bars will include cha-cha-cha chia seeds. So now we can call these bars healthy, but in true Pixel Whisk fashion, I've added a few ingredients here and there to satisfy your sweet tooth! The best thing about these is that you cannot go wrong with ingredients. Nuts, chocolate, dried fruit, a pinch of cinnamon...throw it all in there. I'll see you at the finish line, hopefully feeling like this. 

Almost Healthy Granola Bars
makes 12 bars

INGREDIENTS

2 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup honey

3/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup coconut flakes

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine oats, chia seeds, nuts, cranberries and chocolate chips in a large bowl. Melt the honey and peanut butter together over low heat, then pour over oat mix. Stir until fully incorporated and mixture clumps together. If the granola is too dry, add more melted honey and peanut butter by the tablespoon until you get desired consistency. Line a 9x9" baking dish with foil and firmly press granola mix into the dish. Top with coconut and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until coconut is golden and toasted. Cool, then remove the foil from the baking dish and cut into squares.

Succulent Cupcakes

It's difficult not to pass any neighborhood flower shop or overlook the multitude of Pinterest boards showcasing the adorably trendy succulent plant. I get it... They're small, extremely easy to maintain and crafty terrariums have just about replaced all mini zen gardens. These water saving plants (did you know cacti are succulents!) are so popular right now, I had to scour four different plant shops to find some to model these cupcakes after. The cupcakes might get eaten, but the plants are here to stay. Say hello to spring and swap these cupcakes for a cake at your next event.

To make the "terra-cotta flower pots" and the actual plants, you'll need fondant. Fear not—you can buy it at any craft store—it's just like working with clay, so have fun with it! Before we start rolling out any fondant, we need cupcakes to work with. I rarely do this, but for today's post I decided to cut corners and use a cake mix. I know its taboo in the pastry world to use a "box" cake, but no one can deny the convenience of it! (I won't tell, if you don't.) To elevate the cake mix, I added a teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne. Voilà! Mexican Chocolate cake:)

I also kept things simple with frosting. Domino Sugar has the simplest buttercream recipe around. It's pretty sweet, but this buttercream is the perfect base for the "dirt." I dyed the buttercream to match the graham cracker crumbs, but then I realized the color resembled a peanut butter frosting. Next time, Ill skip the food coloring and just use peanut butter in my frosting.

Is there anything graham cracker crumbs can't solve!? Once you've frosted and covered your cupcakes with "dirt" you're ready to work with the fondant. Use gel food coloring (also available at craft stores) to match the terra-cotta and the succulent green colors. Dust your work surface with a little confectioners sugar to prevent the fondant from sticking and roll the fondant out to make your terra-cotta pot. Use buttercream to stick the fondant to the cake. Remember to wrap any unused fondant immediately or it will dry out.

Build your succulent from the inside out. Use a dab of water to stick the petals to each other.

Mini muffin tins help to mold the petals. They will harden as they sit, then you can assemble the layers, using a dab of water or buttercream as glue.

I had purple edible petal dust to highlight the tips of the succulent petals, but you could easily use cocoa powder instead. I used powdered sugar to add the "frosted" effect.

Can you tell which one is the plant and which one's the cupcake?

Chefs Like Cookies Too!

Sorry for the tardy post, friends! Last week flew by as we were gearing up to announce the 2012 FOOD & WINE Best New Chefs. Held at Times Square's hidden gem, The Liberty Theater, the event didn't disappoint. In addition to the incredible fare served by Best New Chef alums, my personal highlights included the 2012 BNC announcement, custom Belvedere Vodka cocktails, and of course, the dance party. With a little help from DJ Questlove (of The Roots, for those of you who live under a rock) we danced under the glow of custom made FOOD & WINE marquee lights until our feet couldn't dance anymore. Here's a glimpse of the event. Photos courtesy of my super talented friend and photographer Allan Zepeda. (Keep scrolling for the cookies:)

Oh yes, that's me on the right... I'm either dancing or screaming in pain from my heels. 

Aside from assisting the art department with signage and set-up, I was lucky enough to score a spot for my favorite cookies in the BNC gift bags. These "Kitchen Sink" cookies are simply delicious, nothing fancy. They're actually a spin off of my original Hurricane Cookies, with a couple new ingredients:) The chefs I made them for, however, are supreme culinary royalty: Daniel Boulud, Michael Anthony, Gavin Kaysen and Top Chef alum Richard Blais to name a few. For a complete list of the new 2012 Best New Chef class, click here. Check out the Kitchen Sink cookie recipe below. I made and packaged over 100 of them, eating a few dozen along the way. Make them this weekend with whatever fixings you've got in your pantry. Whether it's coconut, walnuts, raisins or even leftover Easter candy, this cookie's a keeper. 

You can buy the gift bags and ribbon at any craft store

Kitchen Sink Cookies

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed 

3/4 granulated sugar 

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened 

2 eggs 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

1 cup peanut butter chips 

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips 

1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats 

1 cup Corn Flakes 

1 cup pretzels, roughly chopped

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375° F. In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper or baking liners and set aside.

2. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until fully incorporated. Add in vanilla extract.

3. Slowly beat in flour mixture. Stir in peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, oats, corn flakes and chopped pretzels. Use a small ice cream scoop to make even sized dough balls. Place onto baking sheets, leaving at least 1 1/2 inches between each ball.
4. Bake for 11 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and just set in the middle. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes.

Get the recipe card HERE