Archive for the ‘Other Easy Desserts’ Category
Frozen Banana Treats Kids Can Make
Kids Can Assemble These Fun Treats in 15 Minutes!
I’ve loved bananas my whole life. Probably because they are sweet and fun to eat, but also because of my love of monkeys. I’m guessing that there’s lots of kids out there who feel the same way I did…and still do. And even for those children who aren’t big banana fans yet, I might have found a recipe to change that! KraftCanada.com has a great banana dessert recipe that’s easy and quick, and perfect for kids to make. It’s called Frozen Banana Treats and not only is the banana dipped in chocolate, but it’s also coated in any topping of your choice. You can dip your bananas in things like nuts, cereal, granola, even cookie bits. It’s easy to be creative with this easy recipe that kids will love! One tip that is posted on the website recommends adding caramel to the chocolate mix for a different flavor, and also melting the chocolate on the unfrozen banana, then freezing the completed treat (supposedly it’s easier to apply the chocolate this way). Well, be creative, try different methods and please let me know what works best for you. Have fun!
FROZEN BANANA TREATS KIDS CAN MAKE
3 small bananas
6 wooden pop sticks
4 squares BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, chopped
1 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup KRAFT Smooth Peanut Butter
Chopped nuts, flaked coconut or candy sprinkles
PEEL bananas and cut them in half. Insert 1 wooden pop stick into each piece of banana. Freeze until firm (about 4 hours).
MELT chocolate, butter and peanut butter in microwaveable bowl on HIGH for 1 1/2 minutes; stir until melted.
PAINT frozen bananas with chocolate mixture using a pastry brush, then roll in chopped nuts, flaked coconut or candy sprinkles.
The BEST Easy Canadian Butter Tarts
Mix A Few Ingredients & Bake 12 Minutes…Voila! Butter Tarts!
My mother baked a lot at Christmas time…and throughout the year, but especially at Christmas. I remember butter tarts were one of my favorites on the treat platter…I just loved the homemade flaky pastry and sweet gooey center. Since butter tarts were a staple in my life since I was a kid, I found it surprising that it was so difficult to find a recipe on the internet. I mean, there were definitely recipes, but very few of them, compared to other recipes I had searched for like lemon squares (which were also on my mom’s treat tray). Well, after doing some research I learned that butter tarts are a Canadian dessert. There’s a similar version of them in Scotland called Ecclefechan butter tarts, but basically the rest of the world isn’t too familiar with them. So if you’ve never eaten a butter tart before you have been missing out on a sticky, sugary, sweet tart that’s similar to pecan pie. For all of you who know what I’m talking about and love butter tarts as much as I do, then you must try this amazingly easy recipe! Enjoy!
BUTTER TARTS
12 frozen tart shells
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 egg
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp vinegar
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup currants or 1/4 cup shredded coconut or 1/4 cup raisins or 1/4 cup chopped pecan
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
In bowl, vigorously whisk together brown sugar, corn syrup, egg, butter, vanilla, vinegar and salt. Set aside.
Divide currants/coconut/raisins/pecans among pastry shells. Spoon in filling until three-quarters full.
Bake in bottom third of oven for about 12 minutes or until filling is puffed and bubbly and pastry is golden. Let stand on rack for 1 minute. Run metal spatula around tarts to loosen; carefully slide spatula under tarts and transfer to rack to let cool.
Tip: The center of these butter tarts is runny (just how I like it) so it’s best to refrigerate them once they cool down so they will hold together better.
Quick & Delicious Apple Tarts
Make & Eat These Tarts in Less Than an Hour!
When I asked my boyfriend what kind of dessert he wanted me to make last night he said apple pie, but I only had 3 apples in the fridge and at 7:30pm, I didn’t want to go out to the store. Then I remembered an episode of Sugar with Anna Olson that I saw recently where she made Apple Toffee Tarts which looked super easy! Unfortunately I couldn’t find the exact recipe that she prepared on her show, but nonetheless, my tarts turned out terrific! I especially love working with puff pastry because it’s easy and always tastes great, but the best part about making these tarts is that it doesn’t involve any apple chopping, only grating which took seconds! Both me and my boyfriend loved these and start to finish we were eating them in less than an hour…talk about an easy and quick dessert! Enjoy!
APPLE TOFFEE TARTS
1 1/2 cups peeled and grated apple
2 tsp lemon juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp cinnamon
1 pkg frozen puff pastry, thawed in the fridge (about 12 oz package)
3/4 cup toffee bits
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. and grease muffin or mini muffin tins.
Toss grated apple with lemon juice and let sit for 5 minutes. Squeeze out excess juices and toss apples with brown sugar and cinnamon.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry into a rectangle 18 x 12-inches. Cut out dough to line a muffin or mini muffin tin. Spoon a little apple filling in center of each square and top with toffee bits. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until puffed and a rich golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Easy Irish Creamy Fudge
A Simple Fudge to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Although this day was traditionally celebrated by Irish Christians, it’s nice to know that now-a-days it’s a holiday that anybody can celebrate! And not only can you show your Irish spirit by wearing green, but you can also celebrate by eating Irish food! Since this is a site for desserts easy and quick, there won’t be any Lamb Stew or Corned Beef recipes here, but I did find a simple dessert that’s perfect for this day…Irish Creamy Fudge! Food Television Host Anna Olson shared this recipe on her show Sugar, and though I have yet to try it, I don’t think you can go wrong with this! I love the flavor of Irish Cream liqueur and combined with the sweet, sugary taste of fudge, I imagine this is a melt-in-your-mouth heavenly dessert. Enjoy your Irish day!
IRISH CREAMY FUDGE
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup Irish Cream liqueur
2 1/4 cups icing sugar, sifted
Grease an 8-inch square pan and line with parchment paper so that it hangs over the sides.
Stir evaporated milk, brown sugar, white sugar, butter and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepot. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often, and cook until 238 °F (use a candy thermometer to gauge). Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and Irish Cream and scrape into a bowl or mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low speed or electric beaters, add in the icing sugar in three additions, mixing well after each addition. Scrape fudge into prepared pan and let cool completely before slicing.
Spring Break Desserts Kids Can Make!
Edible Dirt Is Only One of Many Easy Desserts For Kids!
It’s Spring Break time again! Oh how I used to love having a week off this time of year. My family never went on vacation during the break (we waited until July to drive to Florida) so I used to keep myself busy around the house. There was always lots to do like playing with barbie, watching tv and skipping outside but by the end of the week I got pretty bored, so I wanted to give parents and kids some ideas…easy dessert ideas, that is! I found some great ideas for easy dessert recipes on Suite101.com that kids and parents can make together. Recipes include Cat’s Eyes which requires crackers, peanut butter, banana and raisins; Microwave Carmelcorn with popcorn, sugar, butter and syrup; and Dirt Cups which I included below. I always thought it was a neat idea to make a dessert that resembles dirt…it might not look appetizing to an adult, but just one bite of the sweet chocolate pudding and oreo cookie crumbs and I’m sure I’d forget all about that! So have a fun spring break and let me know if you try any of these cool easy treats!
DIRT CUPS
2 cups milk
1 package chocolate pudding, instant
3-1/2 cup Cool Whip
16 oz Oreos
8 gummy worms
8 plastic flowers
Crush Oreos in a zip-lock bag and set aside. Pour milk into medium bowl, add pudding mix. Beat until well blended for about 1 -2 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in cool whip and half of cookies.
To Assemble: Place 1 tablespoon of crushed cookies in bottom of 8 oz cup. Fill cups about 3/4 full with pudding mixture. Top with remaining crumbs. Garnish with a plastic flower in middle and put a gummy worm halfway out of the “dirt”.
Strange But Delicious Cracker Treat
Transform Crackers into Chocolate Treats in under 30 Minutes!
When I tried this recipe several years ago, I thought it sounded really weird…weird because it’s made with soda crackers and chocolate. What a strange combination, I thought…until I tried them! When I made them again today, I fell in love all over again. The butter and sugar mixture transforms the crackers into sweet crunchy toffee goodness. The chocolate on top makes these taste like the candy bar Skor. Most importantly this recipe is the epitome of desserts…easy and quick! You can make these in under 30 minutes! Even though you’re supposed to wait until the chocolate cools and firms up, I couldn’t wait and still found them sweet and delicious when they were warm…although a little messy. I used toffee bits instead of walnuts because I didn’t have any…it worked out great but I think nuts would be even better. Let me know what you think!
SODA CRACKER COOKIES
35 soda crackers
1 cup butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (I used toffee bits)
1 cup packed brown sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a 15 x 10 inch baking pan with foil and grease it well. Line the pan with soda crackers.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and cook stirring it until it dissolves. Bring to a boil and cook about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Immediately pour mixture over the soda crackers.
Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until the mixture starts to bubble. Drop the chocolate chips over the hot cookies and let it set for a few minutes. Spread the chocolate evenly. Sprinkle with nuts. Let cool, then cut into bars.
5 Minute Oreo Pudding
It Only Takes 4 Ingredients and 5 Minutes to Make This Treat!
I used to love getting the Kraft What’s Cooking magazines for free in the mail. They’re filled with so many easy dinner recipes…which is great for busy moms or people like me who were just learning to cook. And of course there were also numerous desserts…both easy and quick ones! I decided to try the Cookies ‘n Cream Pudding recipe when my friend, who’s not a big chocolate fan, was visiting. All I had to do was beat the pudding and mix in cool whip and cookie bits! It’s so simple…and very creamy and delicious too! Of course, if you are a chocolate lover, you can substitute the vanilla pudding for chocolate…I haven’t tried that but I’m sure it would be fantastic too. Let me know if you come up with any other delicious pudding and cookie combinations! And be sure that you use INSTANT PUDDING because that’s the reason this dessert is so quick. Enjoy!
COOKIES ‘N CREAM PUDDING
8 OREO Cookies, divided
1 pkg (4-serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Instant Pudding
2 cups cold milk
3/4 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided
BREAK 1 cookie into 4 pieces; reserve for garnish. Coarsley chop remaining cookies by placing them in a resealable bag. Seal the bag and bang with a rolling pin or bottom of skillet.
BEAT pudding mix and milk in medium bowl with whisk. Stir in chopped cookies and 1/2 cup Cool Whip.
SPOON into 4 dessert bowls. Top with remaining Cool Whip and reserved cookie pieces.
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.
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.