Archive for the ‘Dessert’ Category

Black-Bottom Coconut Bars

Sep 26th, 09 / 2 Comments

cookiecarnival
I have missed the last few cookie carnival recipes and that kind of bummed me out. I love a reason to make new cookies. This month it was cookie but a bar. I love coconut but Adam doesn’t so this was the perfect reason. I brought these to the neighborhood BBQ and everyone described them as a brownie with a macaroon on the top.

These were simple to make, and didn’t require a lot of ingredients but I didn’t think they were awesome, they were good but not something amazing.

Black-Bottom Coconut Bars (From: Martha Stewart)

Black Bottom Coconut Bars

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

For Coconut Topping

  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 1 package sweetened shredded coconut (7 ounces), 1/2 cup reserved for sprinkling

For chocolate base: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a slight overhang; butter bottom and sides of foil (not overhang).

Place butter in a large microwave-safe bowl; melt in microwave. Add sugar and salt; whisk to combine. Whisk in egg, then cocoa and flour until smooth. Spread batter in prepared pan.

Bake just until sides begin to pull away from edges of pan, 10 to 15 minutes (do not overbake). Let cool slightly while preparing coconut topping. Keep oven on for topping.

For coconut topping: In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with sugar and vanilla. Gently mix in flour and coconut (except 1/2 cup reserved for sprinkling).

Drop mounds of mixture over chocolate base; spread and pat in gently and evenly with moistened fingers. Sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup coconut.

  • Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Lift cake from pan, peel off foil, and cut into 24 bars. Store in an airtight container 3 to 4 days.
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Ultimate Creamy Cheesecake

Sep 9th, 09 / 2 Comments

My favorite dessert of all time is cheesecake, if I could only have one dessert for the rest of my life it would be cheesecake. I use to be nervous about making homemade cheesecake, but then I went for it and I will never go back. It’s rather simple and always produces a yummy treat.

We hosted a Labor Day BBQ at our house and I wanted to make dessert, I decided to go with cheesecake, because well I love it, and I love trying new recipes. Cream Cheese is also the Whats Cooking Ingredient Challenge this week so I killed two birds with one stone.

These cheesecake is very different from most cheesecakes, it’s very creamy, not as dense as normal cheesecake, it was awesome, just different from what everyone was expecting, but awesome none the less. **I put my crust too high on the pan so my outside crust looked funny.**

Ultimate Cheesecake (From: Tyler Florence)Cheesecake

  • 2 cups finely ground graham crackers (about 30 squares)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 pound cream cheese, 2 (8-ounce) blocks, softened
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 pint sour cream
  • 1 dash vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker, cinnamon, and butter with a fork until evenly moistened. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Pour the crumbs into the pan and, using the bottom of a measuring cup or the smooth bottom of a glass, press the crumbs down into the base and 1-inch up the sides. Refrigerate for 5 minutes.

For the Filling:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on low speed for 1 minute until smooth and free of any lumps. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue to beat slowly until combined. Gradually add sugar and beat until creamy, for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add sour cream, and vanilla. Periodically scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters. The batter should be well-mixed but not overbeaten. Pour the filling into the crust-lined pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

Set the cheesecake pan on a large piece of aluminum foil and fold up the sides around it. Place the cake pan in a large roasting pan. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until the water is about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan; the foil will keep the water from seeping into the cheesecake. Bake for 45 minutes. The cheesecake should still jiggle (it will firm up after chilling), so be careful not to overcook. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for at least 4 hours. Loosen the cheesecake from the sides of the pan by running a thin metal spatula around the inside rim. Unmold and transfer to a cake plate.

Slice the cheesecake with a thin, non-serrated knife that has been dipped in hot water. Wipe dry after each cut.

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Dutch Apple Pie

Sep 2nd, 09 / 3 Comments

Adam and I were just talking about going apple picking again this fall, it’s getting to be that time of the year. I figured I better use up the apples I froze from last year before buying new apples. I still have 2 bags left so I will be making more soon.

Adam loves pie, I am not so much a fan of fruit pie, dutch apple with a big old scoop of ice cream is about the only one I will do. So I knew that was what I wanted to make. This one was excellent and wasn’t over the top with apples.

Dutch Apple Pie (Adapted From: Taste of Home)

Dutch Apple Pie

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 T. cinnamon
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
  • 2 cups chopped peeled tart apples (about 3 medium)
  • 1 unbaked pie shell (9 inches)

STREUSEL TOPPING:

  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cold butter

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon. Stir in the egg, vanilla and sour cream; stir until smooth. Add apples; mix well. Pour into pie crust. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325° and bake for 30 minutes more.

For topping, combine flour and sugar in a small bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle topping over pie; bake 20 minutes longer or until filling is bubbly and topping is browned. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or chilled. Store in the refrigerator.

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The Chewy

Aug 7th, 09 / 3 Comments

I have a problem… I have a problem with chocolate chip cookies. Thankfully my husband loves that I have a problem with chocolate chip cookies. I LOVE trying new chocolate chip cookie recipes, I love comparing them, seeing the differences, picking out my favorites, and reasons why.

I first saw this on some blogs. Then I realized I haven’t made chocolate chip cookies for a while, I decided this was the recipe to try as it used bread flour instead of regular. I made these last week, but Adam and I managed to eat almost the whole batch without pictures being taken. This time I made them for our trip to Iowa to visist his family.

These are one of my favorite cookies. I think it’s a tie between The Chewy and The Ultimate Chewy and Soft Chocolate Chunk Cookies. These are the perfect chocolate chip cookie in my eyes, soft middle, little crispy around the edges, lots of chocolate chips and wonderful flavored dough.

The Chewy (From: Alton Brown)

The Chewy

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter
  • 2 1/4 cups bread flour
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in the mixer’s work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Lemon Ice Cream Sandwiches with Blueberry Swirl

Aug 4th, 09 / 3 Comments

The Whats Cooking board on the Nest that I like to post on had a new challenge, it was an ingredient challenge, this weeks challenge was blueberries. I don’t like blueberries so I was not very excited about the challenge, but then realized that it would be a good experience to try something I don’t normally use. And Adam likes blueberries so I ran with it, and started browsing for ideas.

While getting a pedicure last week I was reading the newest issue of Gourmet, this recipe was on the cover, they looked to die for. So I decided that would be my blueberry recipe.

These sandwiches were pretty easy to make, Adam and I both felt the ice cream layer was a little too thick, I think otherwise they were very good. And simple treat to make.

Lemon Ice Cream Sandwiches with Blueberry Swirl (From: Gourmet)

Lemon Ice Cream Sandwiches with Blueberry Swirl

For lemon ice cream

  • 2 pints premium vanilla ice cream
  • 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For blueberry compote

  • 2 cups blueberries (10 ounces)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 (3- by 21/2-inch) strips lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch

For sandwich layers

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • Equipment:

    2 (8-inch) square baking pans (2 inches deep); a small offset spatula

Make lemon ice cream:

  • Transfer ice cream to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 30 percent power in 10-second intervals, stirring, until softened, about 50 seconds total (see cooks’ note, below).
  • Stir in lemon zest and juice. Spread ice cream thinly in a 13- by 9-inch baking dish and freeze while making compote and sandwich layers.

Make blueberry compote:

  • Cook blueberries, sugar, and zest in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat, thoroughly crushing blueberries with a potato masher, until juices are released and sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes.
  • Stir together lemon juice and cornstarch, then stir into blueberry mixture. Boil, stirring, 1 minute (mixture will thicken).
  • Transfer blueberry compote to a bowl and chill until cold, about 1 hour. Discard lemon zest.

Make sandwich layers While compote chills:

  • Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Butter baking pans and line with foil, leaving a 1-inch overhang on each side, then butter foil.
  • Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Beat together butter and brown sugar in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. At low speed, add flour mixture in 2 batches, mixing until just combined.
  • Divide batter between baking pans and spread into thin, even layers with offset spatula. Bake until golden-brown but still tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely in pans, about 30 minutes.

Assemble sandwiches:

  • Dollop tablespoons of blueberry compote all over ice cream, then swirl it gently through ice cream with a spoon. Spoon all of ice cream over 1 sandwich layer (in pan) and spread evenly using clean offset spatula. Invert second sandwich layer over ice cream, pressing gently to form an even sandwich. Wrap baking pan in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.
  • Transfer sandwich to a cutting board using overhang. Trim edges if desired, then cut into 8 pieces.
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