Archive for February, 2009
Simple Sweet and Salty Treat
This 5 Minute Treat is both Sweet and Salty
For the past 3 days I’ve been feeling under the weather. Mostly I just feel really tired. But I don’t want that to stop me from making dessert! This is why I decided to share the quickest recipe to satisfy a sweet tooth…and a salty tooth as well. Okay, I saw this on the show David Rocco’s Dolce Vita a few years back. Before he revealed the recipe David said that when he was a kid, his mom used to persuade him to eat all of his dinner by promising a sweet treat when he was done. He imagined a piece of chocolate cake or apple pie, but instead he got a plate of cheese, nuts and honey. Sounds strange, right? Well, since it was so simple to put together I tried it and instantly LOVED it! Of course, you must be sure to use good quality cheese…David says grana padano but I’ve used parmesan many times which tastes very similar. I normally leave out the walnuts because I think the best parts are the cheese and honey, but try both and let me know what you like best. I’ve included the recipe but to be honest, all you really need to do is slice some cheese and drizzle honey over it. When I told my neighbors about this dessert a couple months ago, they also thought it sounded strange so I quickly went to my kitchen and prepared them a plate…and they LOVED it! I had no doubts! And I really hope you find this sweet and salty treat just as enjoyable as I do.
HONEY AND CHEESE
400 gr grana padano
1 cup walnuts, halved
4 tablespoons honey
Cut fresh chunks or slices of grana padano cheese and put on a serving dish. Sprinkle walnut halves on cheese and drizzle with honey. Yield: 4 servings.
Easy Sour Cream Coffee Cake
PREPARE, BAKE AND EAT IN 1 HOUR!
I had such a huge craving for cake today. Some days it’s chocolate or apple pie, but today it was cake…with cinnamon. Since I had some left over sour cream from last night’s taco dinner I started looking for a good coffee cake recipe. I always found it kind of funny how coffee cake doesn’t have coffee in it, but I guess that’s a good thing because it means my boyfriend will try it (he doesn’t like coffee). I found a recipe called Amazing Pecan Coffee Cake from Allrecipes.com and it turned out great! The ingredients are simple and it took me less than an hour from start to finish…now that’s my kind of dessert, easy and quick! After baking for about 25 minutes my kitchen began to fill with a sweet vanilla aroma. I barely waited until it came out of the oven to try a piece! It was so soft, moist, sweet and delicious! I just love the light texture, so if you’re looking for a dense cake, this isn’t it. The cake has such a wonderful creamy vanilla flavor that you don’t even need the topping…although it’s crunchy and delicious too! For a prettier presentation you can even make double the topping and put half in the middle of the cake. I know you’re going to love this one!
AMAZING PECAN COFFEE CAKE
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened (I used margarine)
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9×13 inch pan with aluminum foil, and lightly grease with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sour cream, then sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. By hand, fold in the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Spread batter into prepared pan.
To make the Topping: In a medium bowl, mix together brown sugar, pecans and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over cake batter in pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack, and remove foil.
Easiest Bananas Foster
Make this Hot Dessert in Less Than 10 Minutes!
I have a few very ripe bananas sitting on my kitchen counter right now. It always amazes me how quickly they ripen! Which means I should always be ready with an assortment of banana recipes…and I am! I only discovered Bananas Foster a few years ago when my parents came home from their anniversary dinner at a New Orlean’s themed restaurant in Toronto and told us about it. According to Wikipedia, this dessert was invented in 1951 at a restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana. I quickly went searching for a recipe and the first one I tried was a winner…I found it on Allrecipes.com. Not only is this dessert easy to make using only a few ingredients, it’s also quick, taking only minutes to heat up in the frying pan. And when it’s done, this dessert tastes so delicious it will have your guests thinking you slaved over the stove! If you love bananas and caramel, then there’s no doubt that you’ll LOVE this! I serve it with vanilla ice cream but you can also pour it over french toast, crepes or plain cheesecake…if you have another suggestion let me know!
BANANAS FOSTER
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons rum or banana liqueur
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 bananas, peeled and sliced lengthwise and crosswise
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 pint vanilla ice cream
In a large, deep skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in sugar, rum, vanilla and cinnamon. When mixture begins to bubble, add in bananas and walnuts. Cook until bananas are hot, about 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately over vanilla ice cream. This recipe serves 4.
A Healthy Ice Cream Sandwich?
Simple ingredients and only minutes to assemble!
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, I’ve found a sweet treat recipe that claims to be healthy! Actually, it’s from The Canadian Press, which makes it sound so much more official, doesn’t it? Anyway, it’s hard not to eat sweets on this day…whether you receive candy from your special friend or you devour a box of chocolates in misery, Valentine’s Day can cause an overindulgence of sugar. This recipe is for Chocolate-Walnut Lace Cookie Ice-cream Sandwiches. How delicious does that sound?! The best part is that this dessert is easy, with just a handful of common ingredients to make the cookies; and it’s quick to assemble too! Just don’t forget to buy the ice cream, or frozen yogurt (choosing non-fat frozen yogurt or ice cream will make this even healthier)! You can assemble the sandwiches earlier in the day and store them in the freezer. I think a dusting of icing sugar on top just before serving looks nice, and you can even add some fruit for a pretty presentation. That should give you some ‘health’ points too! Have a SWEET V-day!
CHOCOLATE-WALNUT LACE COOKIE ICE-CREAM SANDWICHES
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg white
2 cups low-fat strawberry or chocolate ice cream or frozen yogurt
Heat oven to 325 F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and coat it with cooking spray or brush it with oil.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and butter. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is melted and bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Add oats, walnuts, cocoa, baking powder and vanilla, then stir to combine. Set aside.
In a small bowl, use a fork to beat egg white until it is slightly frothy. Measure out 1 tbsp of the beaten white and stir it into cookie batter; discard remaining egg white or reserve for another use.
Drop half tablespoonfuls of the batter about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet to make 12 cookies. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until cookies look dry and are just beginning to colour on top.
Slide sheet of foil and cookies off baking sheet and onto a flat surface. Let cookies cool completely then peel off foil.
To assemble sandwiches, set a cookie in the centre of a dessert plate. Top with 1/4 cup of the ice cream. Set a second cookie on top of the ice cream, then top that with another 1/4 cup of ice cream. Set a third cookie on top.
As you assemble the sandwiches, place them in the freezer until ready to serve. Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 232 calories, 82 calories from fat, 9 g fat (4 g saturated, 0 g trans fats), 16 mg cholesterol, 33 g carbohydrate, 5 g protein, 2 g fibre, 150 mg sodium.
Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies from Betty Crocker!
Bake & eat homemade brownies in less than an hour!
What an amazing flavor combination…chocolate and peanut butter! I love to nibble on Reese Peanut Butter cups while I watch tv at night. I bite around the outside and save the center for last. My boyfriend, on the other hand, isn’t a fan of chocolate, but he LOVES peanut butter (pb and jam sandwiches are his favorite) so he’ll share a Reese with me now and then. When I found this Betty Crocker recipe I took a chance and made them…hoping that I wouldn’t have to eat the whole batch myself. My boyfriend will not eat brownies but since these are made with peanut butter he was willing to try them and he loved them! Of course he did, or I wouldn’t be sharing this recipe with you! They’re so moist and fudgy and best of all it’s a quick and easy dessert. I had all of the ingredients on hand in my kitchen, but I did make a few changes that I noted on the recipe. I know you’re going to LOVE these!!
PEANUT BUTTER SWIRL BROWNIES
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I reduced this to 1/3 which was sweet enough)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 tablespoons milk
2 eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup peanut butter (I used crunchy)
1/3 cup peanut butter chips (I used 3 Reese Peanut Butter Cups)
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease square pan, 9×9x2 inches. Mix sugars, butter, milk and eggs in medium bowl. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt.
Divide batter in half (about 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons for each half). Stir peanut butter and peanut butter chips into 1 half. Stir cocoa and chocolate chips into remaining half.
Spoon chocolate batter into pan in 8 mounds, checkerboard style. Spoon peanut butter batter between mounds of chocolate batter. Gently swirl through batters with knife for marbled design.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely about 1 hour. For 16 brownies, cut into 4 rows by 4 rows.
Easy White Chocolate Cheesecake
Only 15 minutes to prep this gorgeous cheesecake!
Growing up I always thought of cheesecakes as the most fancy, decadent desserts and I assumed they were difficult to make. It was only when I got older and actually baked one that I learned that cheesecake isn’t so intimidating. Of course, there are many cheesecake recipes out there that take a lot of effort to make, and require lots of ingredients. But even the complicated ones didn’t always pass the taste test with my family. However, I want to share a recipe that I’ve made several times and my family loves (I think it’s a recipe from Kraft so I can’t take the credit for this one!). I file it in my “desserts: easy and quick” recipe book. I was so impressed by it because it not only tastes amazing, but it looks great! Very presentable! You can even make the graham cracker crust yourself because it’s super easy…or you can buy one already made, which is even easier! This is a great easy dessert for Valentine’s Day or a special anniversary. In fact, I chose to share this one today because it’s my parents’ 32nd wedding anniversary…Congratulations Mom and Dad!!
WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE
2 packages Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
3 squares (3 oz) White Baking chocolate, melted
1 (9 inch) pie crust, either graham crumbs or oreo crumbs
3 Tablespoons of your favorite jam (red looks nice!)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs and blend well. Stir in white chocolate and pour into crust.
Microwave jam in small bowl on HIGH for 15 seconds or until melted. Drop small teaspoonfuls of jam onto cheesecake then take a knife and cut through batter to create a marble effect.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
P.S. I always make my own graham cracker crust because it’s faster than driving to the store to buy one. Here’s what I do:
Graham Cracker Crust
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
Mix all ingredients together in the pie dish. Pat down the crumbs to form a crust. That’s it! Simple as pie!
Dessert Blog Reviews
I found some great blog posts about easy dessert recipes that I thought you might like to check out!
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Easy Desserts – Tags: almonds, arrowroot, dessert recipe, dessert recipes, easy dessert recipes, easy desserts, easy to make dessert recipes, free dessert recipes, pear, pear recipes, pears, poached pear recipe, poached pears, sherry, vanilla, …
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Super Easy Cheesecake « A Recipe A Day – Entry Filed under: Baking, Cheese, Cheesecake, Cherry, Comfort Food, Desserts, Easy, Kid Friendly, Kid Pleaser, Oven, Recipes. Tags: Recipes, Desserts, dessert, Cheese, Easy, Entertaining, Oven, Comfort Food, …
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3 Prize-Winning Berry Special Cranberry Desserts | Easy Dessert … – This post presents 3 easy cranberry desserts that won first, second, and third place for the Berry Special Cranberry Treats contest organized by the Wisconsin Cranberry Discovery Center…
Easy Frozen Chocolate Bar Cookie Cake
It takes 4 ingredients & a few minutes to put together!
When it comes to desserts, easy and quick are my priorities, and of course they have to taste great! Second, if I can bake with ingredients I already have in my kitchen, it’s a big bonus. A friend of mine told me about this frozen treat years ago. As a matter of fact, the recipe was so easy, she didn’t even have to write it down for me! I love that! And when I tried it out for the first time my entire family loved it…my mom and dad aren’t too hard to please, but my sister and brother LOVE to critique my desserts! The reason I chose to share this recipe is because it truly is a quick and easy dessert and it combines ingredients I think most people love…chocolate chip cookies, chocolate bars and frozen whipped topping! Ohhh it’s delicious! Now let me warn you, it’s super quick to prepare but the dessert needs time to freeze, so you need to keep it in the freezer for several hours. I normally make it the night before I’m going to serve it. Okay, okay, I won’t make you wait any longer…here’s what you need to do:
FROZEN CHOCOLATE BAR COOKIE CAKE
1 package of your favorite chocolate chip cookies
1 Litre tub of frozen whipped topping
Some milk (for dunking the cookies…about a cup and a half)
3 chocolate bars like Butterfinger, Skor or Crispy Crunch (I use Crispy Crunch) — put in the blender to make chunky crumbs
First, make sure you leave the frozen topping in the fridge for the day so that it’s soft and spreadable…or leave on the counter for a few hours. You also need a 9×9 inch square dish that is okay to put in the freezer. Second, take a cookie and dunk completely in some milk, but don’t make it soggy. Place on the bottom of the dish…repeat until you have a layer of cookies. Third, cover the cookies with half of the softened whipped topping and sprinkle half of the chocolate bar crumbs. Next, repeat with another layer of cookies and whipped topping and finally top with chocolate crumbs…AND YOU’RE DONE!! Just place in the freezer and wait until frozen…I know, I hate waiting for dessert too! But the wait will be worth it because if you like all of the ingredients in this quick and easy dessert you’ll be a big fan like me!!
Homemade Desserts…Easy and Economical!
Muffins are a good EASY dessert for novice bakers!
I have loved baking for years. It’s the excitement of finding a recipe that SOUNDS good, putting together some ingredients, following a few directions, then VOILA!…a sweet treat that you made yourself. Such a proud moment! Especially if it tastes good too! Well, it looks like homemade baking is growing in popularity due to the slow economy. According to an article on thestarpress.com, more and more people are baking their own treats to save money and it names some easy options. For example, it suggests baking your own muffins and quick breads, both of which are desserts easy and quick–you can make them in less than an hour! I also like how this article encourages you to experiment with ingredients and not be afraid of weird flavour combinations…like pumpkin and apple! Well, anything pumpkin is okay with me…I love it! As well, there are a few tricks listed to help you make the perfect muffins…check out the article here!