INGREDIENTS:
Root Beer Cupcakes
1 cup all-purpose flour*
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon root beer concentrate
1/2 cup root beer

Root Beer Whipped Cream Icing
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup Dixie Crystals Confectioners Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon root beer concentrate


DIRECTIONS
Source: http://www.dixiecrystals.com/

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup sprinkles

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract, mixing until combined. Add flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time, mixing until completely combined. Stir in sprinkles until evenly distributed (you can do this by hand or with the stand mixer).

Roll one heaping tablespoon of dough into balls and place on prepared baking sheet - leaving about an inch for spreading.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the centers are set. The cookies will not look browned or cooked, but they are (they will finish cooking while cooling on cookie sheet).

Remove from oven and let cookies rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Source: http://www.thenovicechefblog.com/

Ingredients:
1 9 inch pie crust, pre baked and cooled

blueberry filling:
2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Dixie Crystals Granulated Sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch

lemon filling:
1 teaspoon gelatin
1 tablespoon water
4 large eggs
1 cup Dixie Crystals Granulated Sugar
3/4 cup lemon juice (about 3 large lemons)
4 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 lemon, zested (and a little extra for garnish if you want)

Directions:
Blueberry Filling:
In a small saucepan, combine blueberries, water and sugar. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until fruit is tender.
Stir in cornstarch and continue to cook over medium heat until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Lemon Filling:
In a small bowl, combine gelatin and water. Set aside.
Using a double boiler (or a glass/metal bowl over a pan of simmering water), combine eggs, sugar and lemon juice - whisking constantly. Continue cooking (and whisking) until mixture beings to thicken, about 4 minutes.
Once the thickening starts, add one piece of butter at a time. Continue whisking and adding butter until the lemon curd is thick and all butter has been added. Add the lemon zest and the gelatin mixture and whisk to combine. Remove from heat.
Pour half of the lemon curd into the prepared pie crust. Pour in the blueberry filling and spread it evenly with a spatula. Top with the remaining lemon curd. At this point you can leave it for a layered look, or swirl the top with a knife like in the photos above.

Let pie chill for at least 2 hours before serving to allow filling to completely set up. Garnish with lemon zest if you wish!

Source: http://www.thenovicechefblog.com/

yield: 2 dozen truffles 

prep time: 2 hours 

total time: 2 hours

Easy ice cream truffles with a festive spin for the 4th of July.