Category Archives: Dessert

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

15 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by in Chocolate, Dessert, Holiday

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe was a mistake.  I never should have attempted to make these cookies because now all I ever want to do is bake them and eat them.  And repeat.  Over and over again until you rescue me by coming and forcefully rolling me out of my kitchen.

Bake them at your own risk for this year’s Halloween party.  Because they’ll vanish so quickly, they’re sort of a trick and a treat all wrapped up in one.

 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yield:  5 dozen cookies
Time:  minutes prep; 12 minutes baking per batch

1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 cups flour
1½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1½ tsp. cinnamon
¾ tsp. ground ginger
2½ cups chocolate chips

1.  Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Grease two cookie sheets and set aside.

2.  Place the sugar, brown sugar, and butter into a large mixing bowl.  Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into both sugars.  Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract.  Fold in the pumpkin.

3.  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger.  Beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips.

4.  Drop heaping teaspoons of batter onto the prepared cookie sheets.  Bake for 9-12 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack and allow to fully cool.  Be sure to sample one while they’re warm!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Spiked Apple Pear Crisp

18 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by in Boozy, Dessert, Fruit, Quick and Easy, Vegetarian

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Spiked Apple Pear Crisp

The flavors in this dessert scream autumn, and with crisp autumn nights right around the corner, I wanted to share this recipe with you today.  I recommend enjoying it hot from the oven with a steamy mug of apple cider or a hot toddy and bask in the glory of all the goodies that autumn brings!

I used AppleJack in this recipe, which is a uniquely American spirit similar to apple brandy.  In the spirit of a new school year recently starting, I’ll give you a brief lesson on apple brandy and how it fits into American history.  Here’s the abridged version…

Early colonists were very skeptical of water, swearing that it was the root of most illnesses.  Once apple seeds were brought to America from Europe, the colonists readily pressed the apples, creating apple juice and cider which they much preferred to water since they viewed it as safer to consume.  Soon they began to ferment the pressed apples, creating hard cider in an effort to preserve it.  A Revolutionary War soldier serving under George Washington named William Laird began to distill the hard cider into “cyder spirits” (today’s apple brandy).  Laird gave some of the spirits to Washington, and the first president fell in love with the beverage.  He requested the recipe from the New Jersey-based Laird family so he could bring the spirit to Virginia, where it gained even more popularity.

The Laird family first began making this unique beverage in 1698, and Laird & Company continues to be the only company to produce it, still in New Jersey after all these years.  The company survived Prohibition by selling other apple products such as non-alcoholic cider and applesauce.  They were also granted special permission from the government to distill apple brandy for medicinal purposes.  As soon as Prohibition ended, Laird & Company sold AppleJack commercially and continues to do so today.  It should be available in your local liquor store.

 
Spiked Apple Pear Crisp
Yield:  12 dessert servings
Time:  10 minutes active;  45 minutes total

Filling:
5 Bartlett or Bosc pears
3 Gala apples
3 Granny Smith apples
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. honey
¼ cup AppleJack (or apple brandy)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. flour

Topping:
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups oats
1 cup flour
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 cup brown sugar

1.  Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Lightly grease a 9×13-inch glass baking dish.

2.  Peel and core the apples and pears.  Cut into bite-sized chunks.  Place in the prepared baking dish.

3.  Whisk together the brown sugar, honey, AppleJack, and lemon juice.  Drizzle over the fruit and toss to coat.  Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of flour over the fruit mixture, mixing gently to evenly distribute.  (I stuck mine in the fridge at this point for about 2 hours to give the fruit time to soak up the AppleJack.  If you don’t have time to marinate the fruit, just continue straight on to step #4!)

4.  In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, sugar, ginger and brown sugar.  Using a pastry blender, cut in the softened butter.  (Or you can work it in with your hands if you prefer.)

5.  Crumble the topping over the fruit.  Bake at 350°F for 25-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the juices released by the fruit are bubbling.

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla or dulce de leche ice cream!

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Death By Brownie Bites

03 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by in Chocolate, Dessert

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Death By Brownie Bites

Warning: People go crazy for these decadent little chocolate-covered brownie balls! I recommend making them in bulk because they get gobbled up faster than you can possibly imagine! My husband brought a ton into work this week and put them out on his desk before he went to a meeting. They evaporated by the time he got back, and people were immediately demanding the recipe. I had similar results at my work, where they lasted about 4 minutes longer!

One of the huge advantages of this recipe is that it’s super accommodating to your schedule!  If you want to make them in stages, you totally can.  Or if you prefer to make dessert for an event a week or two in advance, then freeze and forget about it until the morning of your party–these are perfect!  See the note at the end of the recipe for my make-ahead tips.

Death By Brownie Bites
Yield:  50 to 60 bites (each 1-inch in diameter)
Time:  60 minutes active; 4½ hours total (including chilling and freezing)

Ingredients:
1 box brownie mix with required ingredients (i.e.: canola oil, water, eggs) (I like the Chewy Fudge Brownies by Duncan Hines)
1 tub (about 14 oz.) prepared chocolate frosting
12 oz. dark chocolate*
To decorate:  4 oz. white chocolate* or sprinkles/mini chocolate chips/mini M&Ms…
toothpicks
waxed paper

* My favorite chocolate for this recipe is Merckens because it melts incredibly smoothly and it leaves a glossy finish.  Candy Melts by Wilton work well too if you can’t find Merckens.

Instructions:

1)  Bake one box of brownies, following the instructions on the box.  Once fully cooled, crumble into pieces and mix in the tub of frosting.  (The mixture will feel like the consistency of raw meatballs.)  Chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour, or overnight.

2)  Roll chilled batter into balls that are roughly 1 inch in diameter.  Place on a freezer-safe dish lined with waxed paper.  Freeze in a single layer for at least 2 hours, up to 4 days.

Death By Brownie Bites

 

 

 

 

 

 

3)  Melt the dark chocolate and stir until smooth.  Have a few toothpicks handy and line your counter with waxed paper.  Remove about 8 balls from the freezer at a time.  Gently press a toothpick about ¼ to ½ of the way into the ball.  Holding the toothpick, submerge the ball in melted chocolate and cover entirely, using a spoon to help if needed.  Drop onto waxed paper to dry.  Hopefully the ball will fall off the toothpick easily.  If it doesn’t, just leave the toothpick in and remove it once the chocolate is dried.  Either way, there may be a small “hole” on top that’s missing chocolate.  Fill in the hole with melted chocolate using a clean toothpick.  Repeat with all balls.  (If you’re decorating using sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, mini M&Ms, or anything else that needs to stick to the melted chocolate, do that as the chocolate is still wet.)

Death By Brownie Bites

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4)  To decorate with a white chocolate drizzle, melt the white chocolate and mix until smooth.  Pour the melted chocolate into a small ziplock bag and snip off the slightest bit of the corner of the bag with scissors.  Squeeze the chocolate out of the small hole, drizzling in a zig-zag pattern over the brownie balls.  Toss the bag when you’re done–no mess or clean up or special tools required for such a classy decoration!

Death By Brownie Bites

Make-Ahead Tips:  The Death By Brownie Bites can be prepared in stages or made entirely ahead of time!   If making a week or two in advance, simply freeze the decorated balls and take them out of the freezer an hour before serving.  Just be sure not to decorate with mini chocolate chips, as I notice the chips tend to get a white film over them after being frozen.  If you have chunks of time to get things done, feel free to stop after Step 1 and leave the mixture in your fridge for up to three days.  Pick back up with Step 2 whenever you have time!  You can take another hiatus after Step 2 if you need.  I often leave the frozen balls (before they’re dipped in chocolate) in my freezer for up to a month!  They’ll stay fresh as long as they’re well sealed.  (Wrap in plastic wrap, and place in a ziplock bag.  Place in a larger ziplock bag and seal tight.)  Need another break after Step 3?  Seal the chocolate-dipped balls and freeze up to a month.  How’s that for a recipe that works around your schedule for once??!

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Death By Brownie Bites

Blueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies

29 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by in Dessert, Fruit, Holiday

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Blueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies

In honor of the 4th of July–one of my favorite holidays–I give to you this recipe for Blueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies!  A plate of these mini cakes will look very festive for the 4th of July picnic you’re heading to in just a few days (especially when adorned with mini American flags!), and the lemon zest in the filling keeps the flavors light enough for a mid-summer dessert!  I wish you a happy July 4th, filled with lots of smiles, laughter with friends and family, and an incredible fireworks show!

Blueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies
Yield:  32 mini whoopee pies
Time:  60 minutes total

For the pies:
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2/3 cup whole milk
2 cups fresh blueberries

For the filling:
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
3-4 cups confectioner’s sugar
zest of one lemon
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

1.  Using a pastry blender or two knives, cream together the butter and both sugars.  Stir in the eggs and vanilla.

2.  In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Stir half of this dry mixture into the butter/sugar mixture.  Pour in 1/3 cup of the milk.  Stir in the remaining dry ingredients, followed by the remaining milk, mixing throughout.  Gently stir in the blueberries.

3.  If you have mini whoopie pie pans, lightly grease each well and drop a rounded teaspoon’s worth of batter in each well.  If you do not have a whoopie pie pan, simply drop rounded teaspoons of batter onto a greased cookie sheet.  Lightly pat down the top of each mound so there are no peaks.  Bake at 375ºF for 8-12 minutes, until the tops spring back when pressed gently.  Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool entirely.

4.  To make the filling, beat together the butter and cream cheese until fluffy.  Pour in 2 cups of the confectioner’s sugar and beat until incorporated.  Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla.  Slowly add the remaining 1-2 cups of confectioner’s sugar until the desired consistency is achieved.

5.  To assemble the whoopie pies, spread or pipe a heaping tablespoon of filling on the top of one cake, then gently press another mini cake into the frosting to create a sandwich.  Repeat with remaining cakes.  Store in the refrigerator until serving.

Blueberry Lemon Whoopie PiesBlueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies

 

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Fruit Topped Cookie Pizza

10 Tuesday Jun 2014

Posted by in Dessert, Fruit

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Fruit Topped Cookie PizzaThis recipe has a special place in my heart.  My mom always made it every year for dessert on Super Bowl Sunday, and still to this day, the big game just doesn’t feel complete to me without a cookie pizza!  I’m not exactly sure why we always made it for the Super Bowl, because it actually seems more like a summertime dessert, but I love it so much that I’ll eat it any time of the year!

Fruit Topped Cookie Pizza
Yield:  16 slices
Time:  50 minutes, plus 2 hours chilling prior to serving

For crust:
½ cup sugar
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1¼ cup flour
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder

For topping:
8 oz. package reduced fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
½ cup confectioner’s sugar
8 oz. fat free Cool Whip (or other whipped topping)
Fruit for topping such as: sliced bananas, sliced strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, grapes, mandarin orange segments, sliced kiwi, pitted cherries,…

1.  Make the crust:  Cream together the sugar and butter.  Mix in the egg and vanilla.  Blend in the flour, salt, and baking powder.  I knead the dough a bit with my hands (don’t over-knead or it will get tough, knead just enough so that the ingredients all come together and it’s moist and crumbly).  Press the dough into the bottom of a greased 9-inch round pizza pan.  (Note:  Use a pizza pan with a solid bottom…not the type that has the holes on the bottom!)  Bake at 400ºF for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.  Set aside and allow to cool.

2.  Whip together the cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, and Cool Whip.  Spread evenly over the top of the prepared crust, all the way to the edge.  Arrange fruit of choice on top in a decorative pattern.  I like to arrange it so that when the “pizza” is cut into slices, each slice has a variety of fruit on it.  Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

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