Kevin and Kaitlyn's Engagment Party

I'm in charge of desserts for the engagement party. My overall goal is have an assortment of things that are easy to cut into pieces and able to be frozen if there are leftovers.
The only problem is that I'm a chocolate fiend, so I've noticed that almost everything I've picked includes some type of chocolate. Oops!

Here are my top selections:

Peanut Butter Cream Topped Brownies

Ingredients

Brownies

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons margarine or 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Peanut Butter Cream

• 1/4 cup margarine or 1/4 cup butter
• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 -4 tablespoons light cream or 3 -4 tablespoons milk

Chocolate Glaze

• 2 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons butter

Directions

1. BROWNIES: Preheat your oven to 325°F Grease a 9 inch square baking pan.
2. In a medium sauce pan, combine the sugar, butter, and water. Cook on low heat, stirring to prevent burning, until it boils. Remove the pan from the heat.
3. Add the chocolate chips; stir until completely melted.

4. Next, add the eggs and vanilla. Mix with a spoon until well blended.
5. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda). Add to the chocolate mixture, make sure it is mixed in well.
6. Pour the batter into the 9 inch pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Do not over bake. Cool completely.
7. PEANUT BUTTER CREAM: Beat the butter and peanut butter in a medium bowl.
8. Alternately add the powdered sugar and light cream, mixing it to spreading consistency.
9. Frost the brownies once they are completely cool.
10. CHOCOLATE GLAZE: Using a small microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips and the butter on high for about 45 seconds. Stir the mixture until the chips are completely melted.
11. Drizzle the glaze over the frosted brownies. Refrigerate until chocolate is set. Cut into 24 bars.
12. Cover and store the brownies in the refrigerator.

Martha's Coconut Cupcakes

Ingredients

Makes 21

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup packed sweetened shredded coconut
• 6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs plus 2 large egg whites
• 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• Seven-Minute Frosting
• 1 1/3 cups large-flake unsweetened coconut

Directions

1. Make cupcakes as directed in Basic Cupcake How-To, adding sweetened coconut to dry ingredients, and using coconut milk and vanilla for wet ingredients. Once cupcakes are cool, mound frosting on tops. Sprinkle with unsweetened coconut. Serve immediately.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Coconut Cupcakes with Seven-Minute Frosting and Coconut Flakes Recipe - MarthaStewart.com


OR

Carrot Cake (I'm turning them into cupcakes) from Epicurious

Cake
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups canola oil
4 large eggs
3 cups grated peeled carrots
1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons minced peeled ginger

Icing
10 ounces cream cheese (such as Philadelphia), room temperature
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

12 walnut halves (for garnish)

For cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch-diameter cake pans. Line bottom of pans with waxed paper. Butter and flour paper; tap out excess flour. Whisk flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in medium bowl to blend. Whisk sugar and oil in large bowl until well blended. Whisk in eggs 1 at a time. Add flour mixture and stir until blended. Stir in carrots, walnuts and ginger. Divide batter between prepared pans.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool cakes in pans 15 minutes. Turn out onto racks. Peel off waxed paper; cool cakes completely.

For icing:

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and beat at low speed until well blended. Beat in maple syrup. Chill until just firm enough to spread, 30 minutes.

Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread with 3/4 cup icing. Top with second layer. Spread remaining icing over entire cake. Arrange walnut halves around top edge. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; chill. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.)

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Carrot-Cake-with-Maple-Cream-Cheese-Icing-102155#ixzz0xzHxViqU

Cooking Light's Pumpkin Pound Cake

Ingredients

• Cake:
• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (about 13 1/2 ounces)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk
• 
  Glaze:
• 1/3 cup fat-free buttermilk
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare the cake, lightly coat a 10-inch tube pan with cooking spray; dust with 1 tablespoon flour. Spread pumpkin over 2 layers of paper towels; cover with 2 additional layers of paper towels. Let stand about 10 minutes. Scrape drained pumpkin into a bowl.

Place 3/4 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed 3 minutes or until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in pumpkin and vanilla. Lightly spoon 3 cups flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and 3/4 cup buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from pan, and cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare glaze, combine 1/3 cup buttermilk and remaining ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Drizzle cake with glaze.

And last but not least...something classic, like these Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 cups chocolate chips (I use 1/2 white and 1/2 milk chocolate)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

Bake for 15-17 minutes (depending on size of cookie) in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely

I would love to practice setting up tables like this http://yourhomebasedparties.com/
and get some good experience.