Tag Archives: Desserts

Cranberry Walnut Muffins (Vegan)

Posted on by Laurie

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Cranberry Walnut Muffins (Vegan)

Makes 4 dense, moist muffins

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1 t. ground cinnamon

1 pinch salt

1/2 c. honey

1 mashed banana (between 1/4 – 1/3 c)

1/4 c. canola oil

1 t. vanilla extract

1/2 c. dried cranberries (any flavor – I used blueberry for this batch)

1/3 c. chopped walnuts

Confectioner’s sugar mixed with a pinch of cinnamon

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare four 1/2-cup ceramic ramekins with baking spray (or with vegan margarine and flour). Place ramekins on a baking sheet.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

3. In a separate bowl, combine honey, banana, canola oil and vanilla extract. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until there are no dry spots remaining.  Stir in cranberries and walnuts.

4. Spoon batter into prepared ramekins. Place baking sheet in center of oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until the tops of muffins are firm.

5. Remove from oven. Dust with confectioner’s sugar mixed with a pinch of cinnamon. Serve warm.

Enjoy! Have a great day!

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Fresh Pineapple Cake

Posted on by Laurie

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Fresh Pineapple Cake

This is a very light, moist cake with a coarse crumb that is not overly sweet. Serve for breakfast with fresh fruit and yogurt or for afternoon tea.

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour or white rice flour (for gluten-free)

1 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

3/4 c. granulated white sugar

2 lg. eggs

1 c. buttermilk or whole milk

3/4 c. fresh pineapple cubes (between the size of raspberries and blueberries)*

confectioner’s sugar for garnish

edible flowers**, herbs, fresh pineapple for garnish, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare an 8″ round cake pan or decorative cake pan with baking spray or with butter and flour. (For gluten-free, use rice flour.)

2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, beat butter until it is light and fluffy. Add granulated sugar and continue to beat for about 5 minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape sides of bowl.

4. Lightly beat in 1/3 of flour mixture, then 1/2 c. of buttermilk or milk. Scrape sides of bowl. Repeat, and then beat in the remaining flour mixture.

5. Fold pineapple into batter. Spoon batter into the prepared cake pan, using the back of the spoon to smooth and level top of batter.

6. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center tests clean.

7. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto cake plate to serve right away or onto wire rack to continue cooling. Dust the cake with confectioner’s sugar before serving. Garnish as desired.

* Canned pineapple tidbits can be substituted in the recipe for fresh pineapple, if well-drained first.

** Daisies and lemon balm leaves are shown here. Daisies are edible and taste similar to parsley. So they are not very dessert-like in flavor, but they are a pretty garnish.

Enjoy!

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Banana Chocolate Crumb Cheesecake

Posted on by Laurie

Happy National Cheesecake Day on July 30th! I decided to mark the occasion by making one of my favorite cheesecakes – Banana Chocolate Crumb Cheesecake!

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 Banana Cheesecake

This is a soft, not-too-sweet, delicately flavored banana cheesecake with a dark chocolate cookie crumb “crust”. The custard recipe comes from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s banana variation of her Cordon Rose Cheesecake in The Cake Bible – a truly excellent cookbook.

Make 1 day ahead

Ingredients (at room temperature)

1 lb. (2 8-oz. pkgs.) cream cheese

1 c. granulated white sugar

1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

1/4 t. salt

2 c. sour cream

2 large, very ripe bananas, enough to make 1 c. mashed

3 T. fresh lemon juice, strained

1 1/4 – 1 1/2 c crushed dark chocolate wafer cookies  (use gluten-free cookies for a gluten-free cheesecake)

Prepare Pan

1. Butter the inside of an 8″ springform pan.  Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the inside of the pan – just smaller than 8″ in diameter. Butter the paper and then place it in pan.

2. Wrap the outside of the pan with a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil to prevent seepage from the water bath.

3. Have ready a larger baking pan – I use a 9″-square brownie pan – to use as a water bath for baking the cheesecake.

Directions for Making Cheesecake Custard

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Using a mixer or large food processor, beat together cream cheese and sugar until perfectly smooth. Scrape bowl. Beat in vanilla and salt, then sour cream. Scrape bowl.  Mash bananas together with lemon juice. Beat bananas into custard. Scrape bowl.

3. Pour custard into prepared springform pan. Place pan in larger baking pan. Pour in 1″ of very hot water. Bake cheesecake for 45 minutes. Turn oven off, without opening the door, and leave cheesecake in oven for one hour.  Remove cheesecake from oven and from water bath.  Remove foil from pan.  Plan pan on a cooling rack and let cheesecake continue cooling at room temperature for one more hour. Cover  pan with plastic wrap. Chill cheesecake in refrigerator overnight.

Serving

1. The next day, wipe outside of cheesecake pan with a hot, damp towel. Run a thin spatula around the inside of the pan. Release the clasp on the springform pan and remove the outside of pan.  If there is condensation on the cheesecake, lightly pat it dry with a paper towel. Invert cheesecake onto a flat plate or a small cutting board covered with plastic wrap.  Remove parchment paper.

2. Pat cookie crumbs onto bottom and sides of cheesecake. Re-invert onto serving plate. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until serving. Garnish and serve.

Suggested Garnishes

• Whipped cream, chocolate shavings and banana and/or strawberry slices.

• Whipped cream and hot fudge.

• Whipped cream and dark cherries.

• For Banana Split Cheesecake, serve with whipped cream, banana slices, strawberry slices, pineapple chunks, chopped walnuts, chocolate sauce, and melted strawberry jam.

Enjoy! Happy National Cheesecake Day!

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Boozy Bourbon Brownies

Posted on by Laurie

A little something for National Bourbon Day …

(Not for children)

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Boozy Bourbon Brownies

Makes about 25 small rich brownies

Ingredients:

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 c. unsalted butter

1/2 c. dried currants

2 T. bourbon

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

2 T. natural cocoa

1/4 t. salt

2 lg. eggs

1/2 c. granulated white sugar

1/2 c. dark brown sugar, firmly packed

Boozy Bourbon Cream Cheese Frosting (Recipe below)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Butter and flour a 9” square baking pan or spray with baking spray.
  2. Melt chocolate and butter together, stirring frequently. Set aside to cool.
  3. Combine the currants and bourbon. Set aside.
  4. In  small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
  5. In large bowl, beat eggs and white sugar together until pale, thick and creamy. (This takes about three to four minutes on high speed. Do not underbeat.) Beat in dark brown sugar and then beat in chocolate mixture. On lowest speed, beat in currants and bourbon.  Then beat in dry ingredients just until they are incorporated. Pour batter into baking pan. Spread evenly.
  6. Bake for about 32 to 37 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out almost clean and the brownies feel firm to the touch.  Place baking pan on a wire rack to cool.
  7. Before serving, cut brownies into squares and remove from pan. Frost tops of brownies with Boozy Bourbon Cream Cheese Frosting.

 

Boozy Bourbon Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes enough to frost one 9” square pan of baked goods or to decorate about 30 cookies.

Ingredients:

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. confectioner’s sugar

1 T. + 2 t. Bourbon, or to taste

 

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Beat until perfectly smooth. Taste. If desired, slowly beat in more Bourbon. Use to frost baked goods.

 

Have a great weekend!

Strawberry Shortcake Donuts

Posted on by Laurie

Happy National Donut Day!

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Strawberry Shortcake Donuts

1 3/4 c. + 2 T sifted all-purpose flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour

1/3 c. granulated white sugar

2 t. baking powder

pinch of salt

3/4 c. buttermilk

2 lg. eggs, beaten

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

1 t. fresh lemon zest

3/4 c. finely chopped ripe strawberries

Lemon Glaze

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 6-mold donut baking pan with oil. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, butter and lemon zest. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until mixture is smooth. If the mixture is too stiff, slowly stir in a little bit more buttermilk. Fold in strawberries.

4. Divide the batter between the donut molds. Spread with the back of a spoon. If needed, run your fingers under cold water, shake them off lightly, then finish shaping donuts with your damp fingers. The batter will stand above the donut pan. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until done to the touch.

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5. Remove donut pan from the oven and place on a baking rack to cool for just a few minutes.  While the donuts are resting make Lemon Glaze, recipe below. After a few minutes, turn donuts out upside down onto serving plates and then glaze.  The donut holes will have slightly filled in on what was the top and is now the bottom of each donut. Top with fresh strawberries and whipped cream if desired. Serve while donuts are still warm. Enjoy!

 Lemon Glaze

1/2 c. confectioner’s sugar

1 T. fresh lemon juice

1/2 t. fresh lemon zest

Directions: Slowly stir lemon juice into confectioner’s sugar until perfectly smooth. Stir in lemon zest.

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Have a great weekend!

This recipe is loosely based on the Cinnamon-Dipped Donuts recipe that I posted a few years ago which originally came from Frugal Feeding.

White Chocolate Citrus Bars

Posted on by Laurie

I’ve been thinking about Mother’s Day coming up, which made me think of this delicious little confection – probably because it is a perfect sweet treat for a ladies’ tea. Enjoy!

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White Chocolate Citrus Bars

Makes 16 large, or 32 small pieces

 

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour, divided

1 c. granulated white sugar, divided

1/3 c. unsalted butter

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 c. (total) fresh squeezed lemon, lime and/or orange juice

1 T. (total) freshly grated lemon, lime and/or orange zest

3.75 oz. chopped real white chocolate or 3/4 c. white chocolate chips

 

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9” square baking pan. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine 1 c. of the flour and 1/4 c. of the granulated sugar. Cut in butter, using your hands to blend ingredients, until the mixture forms pea-sized crumbs. Press mixture onto the bottom of the baking pan. Bake for about 13 to 15 minutes or until the base looks just set. (Do not overbake or the base will dry out.)
  3. While the base is baking, in a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, citrus juice, citrus zest, remaining 1/4 c. of flour and remaining 3/4 c. of granulated sugar. Set aside.
  4. Once the base is ready, remove baking pan from the oven and sprinkle base evenly with white chocolate. Whisk the lemon mixture again and then spread it evenly over the white chocolate layer.
  5. Bake for another 13 to 15 minutes or until just set. Cool completely before cutting into bars or squares.

Tip: After zesting your lemon, lime or orange, roll it on the counter while pressing down on it with your palm. This will help you get more juice out of the fruit when you squeeze it.

Serving Suggestions: Right before serving sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar. For a fancier presentation, press 1 c. of raspberry preserves through a sieve. Spoon preserves over pre-cut bars. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow preserves to firm up. Top cookies with  fresh mint leaves.

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Have a lovely weekend!

 

 

Ambrosia Fudge

Posted on by Laurie

Pretty little candies, perfect for afternoon tea!Image

Ambrosia Fudge

Makes about 36 pieces of fudge

Orange-flavored white chocolate fudge studded with dried fruits and coconut.

2/3 c. evaporated milk

1 2/3 c. granulated white sugar

3 T. unsalted butter

2 c. miniature marshmallows

7 1/2 oz. real white chocolate, chopped

2 t. orange extract

1/3 c. chopped dried apricots

1/3 c. chopped dried cherries

1/3 sweetened flaked coconut

  1. Spray an 8” square baking pan with vegetable oil. Line pan with heavy duty aluminum foil, allowing foil to drape over sides of pan. Spray foil with vegetable oil. Set aside.
  2. In a 2 qt. non-stick saucepan, combine evaporated milk, sugar and butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Boil for 4 to 5 minutes or until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage.* Remove from heat.
  3. Immediately stir in marshmallows, white chocolate, orange extract, apricots and coconut. Beat vigorously with a mixing spoon about 3 to 5 minutes until glossy and the only lumps are from the fruit,.
  4. Spread mixture evenly into pan. Cool in the refrigerator for one hour.
  5. Remove fudge from pan by lifting out the aluminum foil. Pull foil away from fudge and then inspect to make sure that no bits of aluminum foil are stuck in the candy. Using a sharp, heavy knife, cut fudge into pieces.
  • Soft ball stage in candy making is 235 to 240 degrees F.  At this stage, a spoonful of the candy mixture dropped into cold water will form a soft ball.

Note: To store fudge, line an airtight container with waxed paper. Arrange the fudge pieces in the container. If you need to stack the pieces of fudge, place wax paper between layers. Top with waxed paper and then the lid to the container. Store in the refrigerator. Allow to come to room temperature in the air tight container before serving.

Banana Brownies

Posted on by Laurie

This is a brownie recipe that I love because the brownies are super moist and let me make use of extra bananas, and an added bonus is that they freeze well. I just made a batch to put out for guests!Image

Banana Brownies

Not overly sweet or overly chocolatey, these have the added flavor and moistness of banana.

3/4 c. + 2 T. all-purpose flour

2 T. Dutch-process cocoa

1/4 t. salt

4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped or just over 3/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 c. unsalted butter

1-2 lg. eggs (use 1 for denser brownies, 2 for cakier brownies)

1/2 c. dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 c. granulated white sugar

1 c. mashed overripe banana (about 2 lg.)

1 t. vanilla extract

3.75 oz. chopped milk chocolate or 3/4 c. milk chocolate chips

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Butter and flour a 9” square baking pan or spray pan with baking spray.
  2. In  small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
  3. Melt chocolate and butter together, stirring frequently. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, beat egg(s) and sugars together until light and fluffy. Beat in banana and then chocolate mixture. On lowest speed, beat in dry ingredients just until they are incorporated. Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Spread evenly.
  5. Bake for approximately 40 to 45 minutes or until firm on top and starting to pull away from edges of pan. (Do not rely on a cake tester.) Place baking pan on a wire rack to cool.

Tip: Freeze overripe bananas so that you have them available whenever needed for baking. Thaw and then peel before using.

Serving suggestion: Sift with confectioner’s sugar before serving or tuck into banana splits.

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Chocolate Anisettes

Posted on by Laurie

ChocolateAnisettes

Chocolate Anisettes

A variation on traditional Anisette Cookies

Makes about 36 Cookies

3/4 c. + 2 T. all-purpose flour

2 T. Dutch process cocoa

3/4 t. ground aniseed

1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. vegetable shortening

1/2 c. confectioner’s sugar

1 lg. egg

1 t. orange extract

Anisette Glaze

nonparaeils to decorate (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, aniseed, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In large bowl, beat shortening and confectioner’s sugar until well combined. Beat in egg and then orange extract. Beat in dry ingredients.

4. Scoop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls and place 2″ apart on baking sheets.

5. Bake for about 14 to 16 minutes or until lightly browned. Right before taking cookies out of the oven, make glaze. (Recipe below.)

6. Place baking sheets on a wire rack when you remove them from the oven.  Working one cookie at a time, immediately glaze cookies with Anisette Glaze and then sprinkle with nonpareils, if using decorations.

Anisette Glaze

A citrusy, licorice-flavored glaze.

1 1/3 to 1 1/2 c. confectioner’s sugar

1 t. orange extract

1/4 t. anise extract

2 T. boiling water

1. Place 1 1/3 c. of confectioner’s sugar in a small bowl. Stir in extracts. Gradually stir in just enough boiling water to make a thick, pourable glaze. Stir in more sugar if needed and keep stirring until perfectly smooth.

2. Working one at a time, spoon glaze over warm cookies. If decorating with nonpareils, immediately sprinkle them over glaze. Repeat with remaining cookies.

Pumpkin Snack Cake

Posted on by Laurie

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Pumpkin Snack Cake

Ingredients

2 c. all-purpose flour (stir before measuring)

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. baking power

1 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 t. ground cloves

1/2 t. ground ginger

1/2 t. ground mace

1/2 t. ground nutmeg

15 oz. (425 gm.) canned pumpkin

3/4 c. granulated white sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. canola oil

1/3 c. buttermilk

1 lg. egg

2 t. vanilla extract

1/2 c. dried currants

1/2 c. finely chopped walnuts

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting (see recipe at bottom of page)
 
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9×9″ pan with baking spray or with butter and flour.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, mace and nutmeg. Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, stir together pumpkin, sugars, canola oil, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla until smooth and well-blended.

4. Stir pumpkin mixture into dry ingredients until smooth and no dry spots appear. Then fold in currants and walnuts. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Level top with the back of a spoon.

5. Bake for 38 – 48 minutes or until firm on top and a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a cooling rack.

6. While cake is cooling, prepare cream cheese frosting. Once cake is cooled, invert onto a cooling rack, then re-invert onto a cutting board. Frost top of cake, then cut into squares. Enjoy!

 

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. + 1 T. confectioner’s sugar

1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon

1 T. + 1 t. milk

1/2 t. vanilla extract

Directions

Beat ingredients together until perfectly smooth.