Category: Desserts

Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Mini Berry Cobblers

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There is nothing quite like walking into a home filled with the scents of something baking in the oven. These berry cobblers are quick and just made to serve individual desserts to put a wow factor to the ending of a delicious meal. Taken from last years Southern Living, they give the web site where you can buy the individual mini iron skillets for $10/each. I have so many individual dishes already that because cabinet space is so limited in these cute little “turn of the half century” condo’s, I  don’t want to have to head out to the garage to retrieve any thing else before baking, so will be using ramekins.

Serves 12

18 oz mixed fresh berries (4 cups)

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoon butter, melted

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teas salt

2/3 cup cold butter, cubed

1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400. Toss together first 4 ingredients in a bowl. Whisk together the four and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Cut cold butter into flour mixture with pastry blender or fork until crumbly. Add buttermilk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead 3-4 times. Pat into a 6×4″ (1″ thick) rectangle. Cut into 6 squares; cut squares diagonally into 12 triangles.

Arrange 12 (3 1/2″) lightly greased miniature cast-iron skillets on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Divide berry mixture among skillets (or ramekins). Place 1 dough triangle over berry mixture in each container.

Bake at 400 for 20-24 minutes or until fruit bubbles and crust is golden brown. Cool 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temp.

(if you use the ramekins, you can use 1/2 of the triangles for bottom of ramekins and use the other 1/2 for the top, making 6 individual pies. You might not use all of the berry mixture if you do this.

Cakes · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Apple-Spice Cake

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My precious little hubby came home from the Nutritionist yesterday upset because he hadn’t lost the weight he had hoped. We finished dinner and found our way to our matching recliners (they are disguised as wing backs so people just walking in the living room won’t know we are old), when he proceeded to ask me what we were having for dessert. I looked at him and reminded him that he was just complaining an hour ago about not losing weight. He reminded me that that was an hour ago and he was wanting dessert. I hated to tell him that the dessert that I had made was long gone. It had been delivered to some friends and it was too late to make anything last night. He rummaged around our pantry until he found cookies.  This morning I promised him I would have dessert awaiting his arrival today. I found this recipe on the back of the Duncan Hines Spice Cake Mix box and have it in the oven as we speak (actually as I post). Am adding my own frosting as I still just cannot do canned frosting. It has a can of apple pie filling in it and I did add a half teaspoon of ground ginger to the batter. The house smells divine right now and cannot wait to  try it.

1 Duncan Hines Spice Cake mix

3 eggs

1/3 cup oil

1/2 teas ground ginger

1 (18 oz) can apple pie filling (not just the canned apples, but the “pie filling” apples

Frosting  of your choice (but please don’t tell me if you use the canned, I don’t want to know that)! ha

Combine eggs, cake mix, oil and mix for 2 minutes. Add can of apples.

1 cup chopped nuts (opt) can be added if you like

Pour into a greased 9×13 baking pan and bake until knife inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool and Frost

Browned Butter Frosting

1 cup butter

1 box (16 oz) powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk (might need a little more, but add by tables as needed)

1 teas vanilla

Cook butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, 6-8 min or until butter begins to turn a golden brown. Remove pan from heat immediately and pour butter into a small bowl. Cover and chill 1 hour and butter begins to solidify. Beat butter at medium speed with mixer until fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, alternately with milk, beginning and ending with sugar. Beat mixture at low speed until well blended. Add vanilla. Spread over cooled cake. Sprinkle with chopped pecans if desired.

Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Caramel-Apple Bread Pudding

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Peter Pumpkin told me that I can’t make anymore lemon desserts for awhile. He says that it is beginning to “sour” my attitude. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that my “sour” attitude is coming from being woke up at night a million times due to “sleep noises” coming from his side of the bed. He assures me that he doesn’t snore, so maybe it is the lemon desserts. Just in case, I am switching over to heavy sugery items that will most assuredly sweeten my mood. So here is the first of the fall desserts that I will keep in my file for Thanksgiving. I love bread pudding, any flavor, so when I saw this recipe that combined apples and caramel, it immediately needed to be posted.

1 table butter

3 small Gala Apples, peeled and chopped (about 3 cups)

25 Kraft Caramels

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk, divided

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

4 eggs

1 teas vanilla

1/2 teas ground cinnamon

3/4 lb unsliced white bread, cut into 1″ cubes (about 8 cups)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 cup whipped cream (sweetened with about 2 tables sugar while whipping for topping)

Heat oven to 350. Melt butter in large skillet on medium heat. Add apples and cook 5 min. or until crisp-tender, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat.

Place caramels in microwave bowl. Add 2 tables evaporated milk; set aside. Pour remaining evaporated milk into large bowl. Add sweetened condensed milk, eggs, vanilla and cinnamon; whisk until blended. Add bread and stir until liquid is absorbed. Stir in apples and cranberries. Pour into buttered 2 qt. baking dish. Place in water bath. (this is simply pouring boiling water to about 1/2 way up sides of baking dish, which you have placed in a pan with sides.

Bake 1 hour and 10 min or until knife inserted in center of pudding comes out clean.

Microwave caramels in microwave bowl on high 1 min or until completely melted. Stir every 30 sec. Drizzle over pudding and top with whipped cream.

Serves 12-14

Cakes · Desserts · Fruit

Lemon Custard Cakes

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The lemon pudding was so good that I am now craving lemon desserts. This appeared on Two Chums Blog today and I knew I would be making them this weekend.
Lemon Custard Cakes
(Modified from a Martha Stewart recipe)

Soft, room temperature butter, for custard cups

3 large eggs, separated

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Grated lemon zest from 1 lemon

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup whole milk (you can also use almond milk or coconut milk)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set a kettle of water to boil. Butter six 6-ounce custard cups (Pyrex works well). Place a dish towel in the bottom of a baking dish covering the bottom..

Separate egg yolks from the whites.
In a large bowl, whisk yolks with sugar till light. Then whisk in lemon juice,zest and milk.
Mix and beat whites until soft peaks form. (remember that room temp whites always beat up better and lighter)
Fold the beaten egg whites to lemon batter, gently with the whisk. Batter will be quite liquidy. Divide batter between 6 custard cups and place on top of the towel lined baking dish. Place on rack in oven but before closing door, pour the boiling water till water reaches 1/2 way up sides of custard cups. Bake 20-25 minutes, until puffed and lightly browned. Cool for a few minutes and then sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Desserts · Fruit

Lemon Creme Pie

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Last evening I was looking through Face Book and found this recipe that someone had shared. It sounds so good that I am headed to the store as soon as I post this to get the necessary ingredients to make it this afternoon. My sister-in-law called this morning to ask me if I had made it yet as she had seen that I had shared it on FB. She told me that she had eaten a lemon cream pie and it is delicious. It’s not tart like lemon meringue. So for those of you who are not on FB, I thought this was worth posting. Update! I came right home and made it. It is delicious and so creamy. I did change the recipe a little bit. Instead of the 1 cup of milk, I used 2 cups and then only used 1/2 cup sour cream. I just thought that the 1 cup didn’t sound like enough milk. But if any of you try it with the 1 cup, please let me know how you like it.

Lemon Crèam Filling

1 cup sugar

3 1/2 tables cornstarch

1 tables grated lemon zest

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 egg yolks, beaten

1 cup whole milk

1/4 cup frozen butter

1 cup sour cream

Combine sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolks and milk in a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until thick. Stir in the frozen butter and cool to room temp. Stir in the 1 cup of sour cream and pour into a cooked pie crust. Top with whipping cream and white chocolate curls.

Chocolate · Desserts · Fruit

Strawberry Cream Pie

Chocolate Castles2 Comments

Taking a break from pulling all the white shorts, white capris and white shoes out of my closet until they come back out next Easter, I decided that I earned something sweet. Putting away all my linen clothes is enough to put me over the edge. So,  I sat down and began to look for something that sounded refreshing and yummy.  Since it is getting to the time that the strawberries won’t taste as sugarery and sweet, I want to make use of them before they go away for a few months. This recipe caught my eye. Just this morning pulling out my recipe for cream cheese pound cake, I ran across this same recipe in another cookbook, and lo and behold, here it is in a 2012 Southern Living also. So it must be good.

Different from a traditional strawberry pie…well, you’ll see!

3 tables cornstarch

2 tables flour

1/4 teas salt (I have always wondered, since it only calls for 1/4 teas, would we notice if I skipped it altogether?) Think I will be daring and try it without.

1 cup sugar, divided

3 cups half and half

6 egg yolks (note to self, take extra Lipitor tonight)

2 teas vanilla

1 (9oz) package chocolate wafer cookies

1/2 of a (4 oz) semisweet chocolate baking bar, chopped

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 qt fresh strawberries

1/4 red currant jelly (I have seedless raspberry, so will use that)

1 tables orange liqueur (only have raspberry liqueur so will use that)

Whisk together first 3 ingredients and 2/3 cup of the sugar in a heavy saucepan. Whisk together half and half and next 2 ingredients in a small bowl. Gradually add to cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly.

Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl; cover and chill 4-24 hours.

Preheat oven to 350. Pulse wafer cookies and chopped chocolate in a food processor 8-10 times or until finely crushed. Stir together cookie crumb mixture melted butter and remaining 1/3 cup sugar; firmly press mixture on bottom and up sides of a lightly greased 9″ pie plate.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool about 30 minutes.

After 4 hours, spoon chilled half and half mixture into crust. Cut strawberries in half and arrange around center to the outer edge of pie. Use all strawberries to top the creamed mixture.  Using a small saucepan, heat jelly 2-3 min or until melted. Brush jelly mixture gently over strawberries. Chill, uncovered, 30 minutes or until ready to serve

Breakfast · Cakes · Desserts

Almond Cake

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I love the almond flavor in cakes and frostings. Some evenings the almond craving just gets to me and I have to get in the kitchen and make a “wedding cake” (not an actual wedding cake, but a almond flavored white cake) time favorite cake. When I don’t want a huge two layer cake, since I would be the one who ate all of it, this recipe makes one quick and easy layer and gives me plenty of the almond flavor I am wanting.

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour

2 beaten eggs, 1/2 cup melted butter, 1 teas almond extract. Preheat oven to 350. Combine all of the ingredients together and hand mix with a fork, as little as possible.  Spoon into a prepared 9″ round pie tin or cake pan. Cover with slivered almonds and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cake tests done.

*You may make ahead of time and freeze.

Breads · Desserts · Fruit

Cream Cheese Blueberry Shortcakes

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My neighbor puts all her magazines on my front porch when she is finished looking through them. I subscribe to Southern Lady, Southern Living, Taste of Home and Paula Deen, but benefit from of all the ones Nancy receives as well. Today, opening the front door, I saw a new Martha Stewart magazine on the chair. Looking through it I saw so many great recipes, but to be honest, most of them I will never make. Many are really way to healthy or way to complicated for my liking, but this one, this one, well, it will be made this weekend. Anything with blueberries, butter and cream cheese, catches my eye.

Non-stick cooking spray
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tables granulated sugar
3/4 teas salt
1 3/4 teas baking powder
1/4 teas baking soda
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
8 oz cream cheese (2 oz cold and 6 oz room temperature)
4 oz blueberries (about 2/3 cup) (more for the serving plate)
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1/3 cup powdered sugar, plus more for serving
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
Coat 2 parchment-lined baking sheets with cooking spray. Whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl. Incorporate butter and cold (2 tables) cream cheese into flour mixture with a pastry cutter or two knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer to freezer and chill 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425 with racks in upper and lower thirds. Transfer flour mixture to another large bowl. Add blueberries and stir buttermilk into dough, gently folding with a rubber spatula until a sticky dough forms. Do not over mix. Divide dough into 8 even mounds, placing about 2″ apart on baking sheets. (4 per sheet)
Bake, rotating halfway through until shortcakes are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Let cool on baking sheet 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
Meanwhile, beat together remaining 6 oz cream cheese and powdered sugar with mixer until smooth. Gradually add whipping cream, beating just until mixture becomes smooth and thick, about 1 minute.
Do not overbeat. Serve alongside shortcakes and more fresh berries, with powdered sugar for sprinkled over shortcakes with berries on top.

Desserts · Fruit

Key Lime Bars

Chocolate Castles2 Comments

When you can’t have Houston’s Key Lime pie, go for these. These bars can even be frozen for later use or when you are just wanting to get them out of sight so you don’t eat the whole pan. Then you can just take a couple out (or 5) whenever you have a craving for them.
1 1/4 cup flour
30 vanilla wafers, broken into pieces
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup cold butter, cubed
In a food processor, combine the four, wafers, powdered sugar and pecans. Cover and process until nuts are finely ground. Add butter, cover and pulse until crumbly.
Press into an ungreased 13×9 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 15-18 min or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
In a small bowl, combine the following:
1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 tables milk (or cream)
1 teas vanilla
Beat these ingredients until well blended and spread over cooled crust.
Key Lime Layer
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
4 eggs
1/2 cup lime juice
Combine sugar and flour; whisk in eggs and lime juice. Gently pour over cream cheese layer.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 min or until filling is set. Cool on rack. Refrigerate for at least one hour or until chilled.
Before serving, sprinkle a with powdered sugar. Cut into squares.
Yields: 3 dz small squares

Chocolate · Cookies · Desserts

Brownie Tassies

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Just made a batch of these to take to a meeting. They are perfect to just pick up with your fingers and pop them in your mouth. They resemble the brownie bites you buy at the store but these, of course, have the buttery flavor and a soft gooey middle. You can actually change the flavor from vanilla extract to almond, or cherry or what ever tickles your fancy

3/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup cocoa

1/3 cup cold butter

2-3 tables water (it took all 3 today)

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, 1/3 cup sugar, cocoa and salt. Cut in the 1/3 cup cold butter with pastry blended or 2 forks until mixture resembles crumbs. Sprinkle water, a tables at a time and stir dough into a ball. Divide the ball into 24 balls. Place one in each of the lightly greased mini-muffin tins (unless you are using the Teflon coated, then you will not need to grease). Pressing with your finger (this is easier if you dip your finger each time in flour so dough doesn’t stick to your finger), make a well in the balls, pushing some of the dough up the sides of the tin also. Set aside when you have done all 24.

Filling: 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tables butter

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teas vanilla (or cherry or almond)

1/2 teas cinnamon

Melt chocolate chips and butter together in microwave bowl, on high for 30 second intervals.  Stir until chips are completely melted. Stir in sugar, egg and vanilla.

Divide the filling between the 24 cups.

Place tins in a 325 preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. (Mine today took 18 but I used just the thin metal pans, the dark Teflon ones will probably take longer)

Cool for 10 minutes and then loosen around edges with a knife or fork. Set on wire racks to cool. These can also be made ahead and frozen.