Category Archives: dessert

Baked Rice Pudding

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I was in need of some comfort food! Rice pudding reminds me of my Gram, so what’s more comforting than that? 😉 The rice baked up perfectly, with a nice bite, not mushy, and it was just sweet enough for my tastes. The original poster claimed this recipe will serve four – ha! 😉 Let me put it this way:  if it was a really bad day, I could easily have eaten all of this myself! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Milky Rice Pudding – adapted from The Parsley Thief

  • unsalted butter, for greasing baking dish
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1/3 cup arborio rice
  • 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • a pinch of salt
  • ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Generously butter a baking dish, or pie plate.
Add the milk, rice, brown sugar & salt to a mixing bowl, or measuring cup. Whisk, until well combined & pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake for about 1 hour 10 minutes, or until the rice is very tender & most of the liquid has been absorbed. While the pudding is cooking, stir every 10 minutes, or so. When it nears the end of the cooking time, a skin will form on the surface of the pudding. When done, stir the pudding, divide into serving bowls & garnish with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.

Homemade Fudge Pops

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Quick Post: The kids couldn’t wait for these to freeze solid 🙂 They’re a little grainy, but the flavor is nice – not too sweet either. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Homemade Fudge Pops – adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

  • ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2/3 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2½ cups whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave on 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth.

2. Combine the melted chocolate, sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add the vanilla and butter, and stir until well combined.

3. Let the mixture cool slightly (it should still be warm but not hot to the touch), and then pour into popsicle molds. Freeze for 30 minutes, and then insert sticks. Freeze completely before serving.

Blueberry Cakelets

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Quick Post: I was on a hunt for more recipes that use self-rising flour. I recently purchased a bag for these two ingredient biscuits (they’re my absolute fave!) But I only made them that one time back in October, so the remainder of the flour sat in the pantry until it finally expired…I hate wasting food. This was pretty tasty and not too sweet. I bet that it would be even better with some fresh whipped cream. I like how quickly I was able to throw this together and next time I would love to try this recipe with strawberries. That might go over well with my family as they don’t seem to like blueberries that much…oh well! Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Individual Blueberry Cakes – adapted from Top With Cinnamon
  • 2 cups blueberries
  • 1/3 cup + 3 tbsp sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup whipping cream
  • 2/3 cup self-raising flour

Optional:

  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • zest of one lemon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Put the blueberries in a bowl, with 1/2 cup of water, the 1/3 cup of sugar (and cinnamon, lemon zest and lemon juice if you want them). Stir until the blueberries are coated with the mixture. Divide between 4 or 5 medium ramekins.

In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 tbsp of sugar, the egg and cream together. Add the flour and stir until just combined, don’t over mix it! Pour the mixture into the  ramekins and sprinkle the remaining 1 tbsp of sugar on top of the batter (or you could sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture onto the batter here…I highly recommend it!). Place the ramekins on a baking tray (to stop juice dripping everywhere in the oven).

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until well risen and golden brown.

Thousand Layer Cookie

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I’m not a newlywed anymore, (and honestly, I did not cook like this ten years ago…) but I was intrigued as soon as I found this recipe online. I figured that if this book had awesomeness between its covers like this, it would certainly be worth borrowing from the library 🙂 Up until a couple of weeks ago, I had no idea that this kind of cookies existed. This website has great pictures of step by step of how these amazing cookies are created and they’re worth the extra effort! I love that the chopped chocolate instead of chips because you get chocolate in every single bite – powder,  shards and chunks all in one awesome cookie. They bake up slightly crisp but chewy in the centers; and the flaky fleur de sel leaves a pleasant, salty zing on your tongue. I have never used that salt until today, but I can’t wait to use it in other recipes to see what the fuss is all about. These are the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever had. Period. End of story. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Thousand Layer Cookies – adapted from The Newlywed Cookbook

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar (150 g)
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150 g)
  • 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface (280 g)
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
  • 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and both sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, two at a time; add vanilla and mix to combine.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Scrape down sides of bowl and mix to combine.
  4. Divide dough into three equal portions. Wrap each portion with plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator; let chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, using a serrated knife, coarsely chop chocolate into thin shards. Set aside.
  5. Unwrap one portion of chilled dough and place on a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle with half the chocolate and top with a second portion of chilled dough. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate and top with remaining portion of dough.
  6. Lightly dust with flour and gently roll out dough to a 9-by-6-inch rectangle, about 1 1/2 inches thick. Using a 2-inch-round cutter, cut out 10 rounds of dough. Gather scraps and lightly pat into another 1 1/2-inch-thick rectangle and cut out remaining cookies. Place on prepared baking sheets about 3 inches apart and brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with fleur de sel, if desired.
  7. Transfer cookies to oven and bake until cookies are set, 12 to 15 minutes, switching baking sheets from top to bottom halfway through baking. Let cookies cool slightly on baking sheets, about 3 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Strawberry Ice Pops

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I recently purchased these ice pop mold from Amazon, and borrowed this book from the local library. This book is full of real fruit recipes and I can’t wait to try the cantaloupe, watermelon, avocado (yes, avocado!), lime, spicy pineapple, and maybe I’ll try the roasted banana ice pops. I am almost tempted to purchase this book! 😉
Verdict: This is the first recipe in this book, probably because it’s the most basic and well-loved flavors. It was very easy to make and of course, there is a little waiting involved, but these are definitely worth making. Yes, there is sugar in these, but I’m sure you could substitute with another type of sugar. Next time I’ll use less sugar because these are pretty sweet. If you’re using super ripe and sweet fruit, adjust your sugar content accordingly – unless you like super sweet popsicles. Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Strawberry Paletas – adapted from Paletas
  • 4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
  • 3/4 cup sugar (**I used vanilla sugar**)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tsp. lemon juice

Directions:

Combine the sugar and strawberries in a bowl. Let sit until the strawberries start releasing their natural juices, 20-30 minutes. Place in a saucepan with the water over medium heat. Simmer until they are slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor, add the lemon juice, and puree until smooth. If using conventional molds, divide the mixture among the molds, snap on the lid and freeze solid, about 5-8 hours.

Browned Butter CCC

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This is my first time making brown butter, but it seems like a very popular flavor among food bloggers. The browned butter smells nutty and caramely, so it’s pretty safe to assume it will add that to the flavor of these cookies. Plan accordingly if you are going to make these…I read through the instructions after I finished the butter, only to learn that the batter needs to sit in the fridge overnight. Upon discovery of this “minor” detail, I coyly sent a text to the husband who already anticipated cookies for dessert tonight – “you’re not going to like me”. He’s pretty bummed, and honestly I’m not crazy about having to wait longer for these, but in the interest of all things yummy – I will wait! 😉

In case you’ve never browned butter before, here are some helpful tips and instructions. If you have one, it’s best to brown the butter in a stainless pot or pan so you can be sure of the color. Also, it’s fairly easy to go from perfectly brown to burnt, so start slow so you don’t waste your butter. Mine took nearly 20 minutes to get to the color I was comfortable with. Now that I’m pretty confident with this new skill I’ll be sure to search for recipes or I might even try brown butter for dishes we love already.

Verdict: These cookies are slightly chewy, with nice, crispy edges; and flavor of these is buttery, nutty and caramely! I know that last description isn’t a real word, but you know what I mean 😉 Thanks for reading, enjoy!

 

Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies – adapted from The Curvy Carrot

  • 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 2 and 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • One bag semisweet chocolate chip cookies

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until it is frothy and browned, about 15-20 minutes or so (the browning process goes quickly once it starts so watch it carefully.)

2.  Transfer the butter to a small bowl and let cool to room temperature.

3.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda.

4. In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the browned butter and both types of sugar, until smooth and light, about 7 minutes.

5. Add in the whole egg, the egg yolk, milk, and the vanilla.

6. Decrease the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients.

7. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.

8. Cover the cookie dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

9. The next day, let the dough come to room temperature.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

10. Using a small cookie dough scoop, place the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.

11. Bake each cookie sheet (one at a time) until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom, about 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool on the baking sheets set on wire racks for 3 to 5 minutes or until set. Transfer the cookies to the wire rack to cool. Makes about 36 small cookies.

Skillet Cookie

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Quick Post: If you’re a fan of under-cooked cookies, this is the dessert for you. I happen to love thin, crunchy cookies, but my husband loves doughy ones. It’s fun to make a giant cookie or any over the top dessert when company is over and it’s always a good excuse to choose an extra-decadent recipe. “Senior” is in town and what better way to welcome his arrival than something I know he wont find anywhere else. Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Skillet Cookie – adapted from Sophitimom
  • 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chunks

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in an 8 inch cast iron skillet set over medium-low heat. Stir in sugars and vanilla and remove from heat. Let rest until pan is warm, but no longer very hot, about 5 minutes.

2. Crack an egg onto the butter and sugar mixture, and use a fork to whisk it well into the mixture. Place flour, baking soda, and salt on top, and very carefully stir into the mixture until smooth and well-mixed. Stir in chocolate chunks. Place in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes, or until starting to turn golden on the top and around the edges, but soft in the center. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Wookies!! (Waffle Cookies)

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Ha! Get it? 😉 To be honest, I was more excited to try this waffle cookie recipe out than the waffle recipe.   These are fast, easy and tasty. My husband prefers underdone cookies (ick!) but he didn’t mind the crispness of these (I know because he had no problem eating lots). The next day they were even better, kind of caramel-y, chewy and not hard as a rock like some crispy oven-baked cookies.  The next day, I took this cookie up a notch by shamelessly adding some to vanilla ice cream with a splash of milk. It’s a lazy-girl wookie milkshake!  If you have a waffle iron try these, and if you don’t – hurry up and buy one! Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Chocolate Chip Waffle Cookies – adapted from How To Simplify
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
  • Confectioner’s sugar (optional)
Directions:
  1. Preheat the waffle iron to medium heat and grease the iron.
  2. Combine the sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl. Gradually add the flour, salt, and baking soda to the mixture.
  3. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  4. Drop batter onto the waffle iron in tablespoonfuls (I like to use an ice cream scooper).
  5. Bake for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown.
  6. Remove cookies from the iron using tongs and place on a wire rack to cool. Dust with confectioner’s sugar (optional).

Rainbow Cupcakes

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I have seen this recipe all over the place! It’s so fun and easy, especially if you’re using a mix. Well, I did use a mix, but a homemade one, but it’s worth making for the piece of mind it brings knowing what is in it. In order to make sure I had an equal amount of each color for these, I weighed out the amount in cups (8 ounces) and used my smallest disher to make sure I put roughly the same amount of each color batter in the cups. These were a lot of fun to make, and the kids enjoyed helping add the color to the batter. I liked the flavor of these and the almond extract tastes kind of like cherry to me for some reason. Next time I will try the same recipe, but with cake flour because I think all the stirring made the cupcakes more dense than I expected. I’m sure if I left the batter white, that wouldn’t have been a problem.
The buttercream was so fluffy, light and not too sweet. I found a recipe that I knew I needed to cut in half and it worked out perfectly. I’m not a “frosting” lover, but this buttercream was spoon licking good!

Overall, I’m really pleased with how these turned out. It was my first white cake I have ever made. I had never used almond extract before either, but I liked the flavor that it gave to these cupcakes. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Rainbow Cupcakes – 

  • One batch of white cake mix
  • 3/4 cup of unsalted butter, at room temp
  • 5 egg whites (or 1 cup of Egg Beaters pure egg whites)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • *equipment – five cups, five spoons, gel food coloring, #60 disher, and muffin papers
Directions –
1. Cream butter. Add egg whites, one at a time until mixed, (mine never became a cohesive batter, but don’t worry). Add milk, vanilla and almond extract then slowly add the dry mixture in batches. Be sure to scrape down the sides of your bowl and do not overmix.
2. Divide the batter into five cups, then add a one color into each cup, (*I used pink, yellow, green, blue and purple gel colors. Liquid tends to thin out batters or icing, and you’ll use less of the gel vs. liquid) until your desired shade is achieved.
3. Prep your muffin tin by adding white muffin papers (you can see the colors through the white) Using a small disher (size 60) or a tablespoon measure, add your colored batter to each muffin cup in your desired pattern.
4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 17-20 minutes or until done. Cool in the pan for about five minutes, then remove the cupcakes and place them on a wire rack to cool.

Vanilla Buttercream – adapted from Apron Days

  • 4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
  • 2 cups butter, room temp
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4 tablespoons whipping cream
  • a good pinch of salt
 Directions –
1. Cream butter and sugar on low-speed until combined, then beat on medium speed for several minutes (the time here is crucial in order to obtain a lighter frosting, so don’t skimp.)
2. Add vanilla, cream, and salt and beat on medium speed for another couple of minutes, adding more cream if you want an even lighter consistency (here’s where you would add food coloring, too, if you’d like).

White Cake Mix

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My daughter’s birthday is this week! Why can’t she stop aging? 😉 I know that is impossible, but looking back at pictures makes me sad – she was so little! Now she’s a giant-almost-6-year-old. Anyway, I decided I would bring her class some cupcakes, and what’s more fun than those rainbow cupcakes that are all over Pinterest?? At first I thought I would take the easy way out and use a white cake box mix, but after reading the ingredient list I couldn’t justify it! Hydrogenated this and high fructose that…garbage! Ignorance is bliss sometimes, but now that I know better I have to choose better – even if it is for a group of kindergarteners that could care less! 😉 Of course it’s easier to throw a box cake together, but this is loads cheaper – easily pennies on the dollar for these pantry staples. I made my own superfine sugar – if you have a food processor you should if you don’t have it on hand. I put a piece of plastic wrap over the work bowl so the sugar dust didn’t fly all over the place. Once the sugar was finished and measured, I added all the other ingredients to the bowl and pulsed it a few times. That was it – couldn’t be easier! The next post will be on the super fun and festive rainbow cupcakes!! Thanks for reading, enjoy!
White Cake Mix – adapted from I Am Baker
  • 2 3/4 cup flour (343 grams)
  • 1 3/4 cups SUPER fine sugar (you can buy this or make it)
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt

Directions – 

Sift all the ingredients together and store in an air tight container.

To Use: 

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 5 egg whites ( I used Egg Beaters, pure egg whites, about 1 cup)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp. almond extract
Directions –

1. Cream butter and add egg whites one at a time until mixed. (*The batter separated terribly and never emulsified, but it still worked out once the dry ingredients were added*). Add milk, vanilla and almond extract. Add the dry ingredients in about three additions, making sure to scrape down in between and being careful not to overmix.

2. Fills two 8-inch rounds, or 16-18 cupcakes. Bake 325-350 degrees for 20-30 minutes; and cupcakes 17-22 minutes or until done.