Desserts

Blackberry Cobbler

September 15, 2011 – 6:59 pm

I must admit that I am SO excited for fall!! Summer sure took its sweet time arriving in the Pacific Northwest this year and the hot summer days were a welcome change. But now that school has started, football season is here and we’re all settling into a routine once again I am ready for my favorite season. I love warm sweaters, boots, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin candles (see a theme here?), cooler temps and falling leaves. So this wonderful blackberry cobbler is my farewell to summer this year. We were playing at one of our favorite little parks when we spotted tons of delicious, ripe blackberries ready for picking. I turned them into this delicious cobbler that we all loved and will definitely make again each year for blackberry season. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cups white sugar, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter
1/4 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 cups fresh blackberries, rinsed and drained

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/4 cup boiling water just until mixture is evenly moist.
In a separate bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in cold water. Mix in remaining 1/2 cup sugar, lemon juice, and blackberries. Transfer to a skillet, and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Transfer to an 8×8″ baking dish and drop dough onto the top of berry mixture by spoonfuls.
Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until dough is golden brown.

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S’mores Brownies

August 13, 2010 – 5:09 pm

I adore S’mores! But only when they are done correctly. To me that means a golden brown and gooey marshmallow. Not charred. Roasting a perfect marshmallow takes practice. Fortunately for me I am married to a man who worked as a Camp Counselor for 7 summers and he’s got his marshmallow roasting technique down to a science. Now I do have to knock him a bit because he doesn’t like s’mores at all. Who doesn’t like s’mores? Sinful. So today when I wanted to bake something for him to take to work, I thought of trying my hand at s’mores brownies and this is what I came up with. YUM! Most recipes I looked through said the same thing. They taste great but they are a nightmare to cut and serve. The marshmallows glob up and though they taste good, they make for terrible presentation. Well if you know me at all by now, my food has to look good as well as taste good. After all, how could I photograph it for all of you to drool over otherwise? So here is what I came up with and they tasted delicious and as you can see, look scrumptious too!

S’mores Brownies

1 Box Ghiradelli Triple Chocolate Brownie Mix (the only place I can find them is at Costco), batter prepared according to package directions for a 9×13″ pan
1.5 cups coarsely chopped graham crackers
1 package large marshmallows
1 cup milk or semi sweet chocolate chips

Prepare brownie batter and pour into prepared 9×13″ pan. Sprinkle graham crackers evenly over the top of the batter. Bake as directed on package.
Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over brownies and place the pan on a cooling rack.
Cool completely then cut into squares as desired.
Cut each marshmallow in half, making sure to have enough for each brownie. Place cut marshmallow on each brownie and broil them in the oven until marshmallows reach desired golden brown color. Keep an eye on them because they brown quickly.
Remove from oven and enjoy.

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Perfect Snickerdoodles

August 5, 2010 – 9:24 am

I discovered these Snickerdoodles a couple of years ago when I had a serious cookie craving and didn’t want to run to the store. Little did I know they would become one of my favorite cookies. They are the perfect texture… soft in the middle, slightly crisp on the outside. And chances are you already have everything you need to make them.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

Source: Allrecipes.com

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I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!

July 19, 2010 – 11:00 am

Over the weekend I hosted an ice cream social for some friends. It was SO much fun!! Definitely something I plan to do again in the near future.

Ice creams included French Vanilla, Chocolate Peanut Butter and Northwest Blackberry with Dark Chocolate Chunks

Toppings included brownie crumbles, cookie dough, sprinkles, hot fudge and caramel sauces, chopped peanut butter cups, gummy worms, mini swedish fish and homemade whipped cream.
I offered sugar and cake cones and waffle bowls for serving.

Other items included freshly baked brownies and homemade mini chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches. I LOVED the ice cream sandwiches! Thank you Martha Stewart!

Recipes all found below.

The set up

Some of the Toppings

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Amazing Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Cute little taste testers

And onto the most important part…. THE RECIPES!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Makes 1.5 quarts

2 1/2 cups whole milk

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

pinch of salt

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

In a sauce pan over medium heat, stir together 2 cups whole milk, sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Heat until the milk start to steam, but before it starts to boil.

In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1/2 cup of whole milk and the cornstarch. Stir until no lumps remain.

Add the cornstarch mixture to the heated milk and chocolate mixture and bring to a low boil. Boil until thickened. The mixture will look the consistency of chocolate pudding. Remove from flame.

In a small sauce pan, heat 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Once boiling, remove from heat and pour over the chocolate chips. Let sit for 1 minute, then stir the cream and chocolate mixture until incorporated.

Stir the cream and chocolate mixture into the cooling chocolate ice cream base. Place in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap or a lid, and put in the fridge until cool.

Once cool, follow the manufacturers instructions on the ice cream maker to churn ice cream. Once the mixture has chilled and thickened in the ice cream maker, slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup of peanut butter (microwave peanut butter until it’s pourable). Don’t over mix. You want a nice ribbon of peanut butter running through the ice cream.

Transfer the ice cream into a freezer safe container and drizzle in the remaining 1/4 cup of peanut butter. Cover and freeze about 3 hours or until firm.

Source: Joy The Baker

French Vanilla Ice Cream
Makes 1 quart

2 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more. Pour in the cream, milk, and vanilla and whisk to blend.
Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s instructions.

Source: Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream & Dessert Book

Mini Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches
Makes 12

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup sour cream

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add sour cream, egg, and vanilla; beat until smooth. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; mix in 1 cup chocolate chips.
Using 1 rounded tablespoon per cookie, drop mounds of dough, about 1 1/2 inches apart, onto two baking sheets. (You’ll have 25 to 30 cookies.) Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes; transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Scatter remaining chocolate chips on a plate. Place about 2 tablespoons ice cream between 2 cookies, bottoms facing in; press gently. Roll the sides of each sandwich in chips. (If ice cream is melting, place sandwiches in freezer until firm enough to roll in chips.) Transfer sandwiches onto baking sheets. Freeze until firm, at least 2 hours; then wrap individually in plastic. Freeze up to 2 weeks.

Source: Martha Stewart

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Berry Season!!

July 14, 2010 – 8:21 am

One of my favorite things about living in Oregon is berry season! We have to be a bit patient as often our berries come late in the season; but it’s SO worth the wait. Our berries are plump, juicy and sweet… like nothing you can find in the store. Yesterday the boys and I ventured to a berry farm and picked the perfect amount of berries for our family. Plenty to snack on, make a batch of jam and of course, dessert! I made blackberry raspberry jam and a wonderful triple berry crisp.

Blackberry Raspberry Jam

2.5 cups crushed blackberries
2.5 cups crushed raspberries
7 cups sugar
1 (1 3/4 ounce) package fruit pectin

Directions

Carefully measure out the berries, put them into a very large pot (8qt).
Carefully measure sugar in a lg bowl.
Add the pectin to the berries a little at a time, stirring constantly.
Heat on hi, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a FULL boil.
Add sugar ALL at once, stirring.
Bring mixture back to a full hard boil, stirring constantly.
Boil for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and ladle into clean, hot 8oz jars, leaving 1/4 inch space at the top.
Wipe the rim of the jar and put canning lids and rings on firmly tight.
Place in canner with very hot water, make sure water is 1 inch above jars.
Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Remove and set them upright on a towel to set for 12 hours.

Alternatively, you can make freezer jam. Here’s how you do that:

Blackberry Raspberry Freezer Jam

3 cups blackberries
3 cups raspberries
5 1/4 C sugar
1 box pectin

Mash berries with a potato masher one cup at a time. Add sugar to crushed fruit. Stir and allow to sit for ten minutes. Put pectin and 3/4 C water into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Boil for one minute. Add mixture to berries and stir for about three minutes until sugar is dissolved. Pour into containers. Allow to sit at room temperature for 24 hours. Keeps in the refrigerator for about three weeks or up to a year in the freezer.

Triple Berry Crisp

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups fresh blackberries
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
4 tablespoons white sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a large bowl, gently toss together blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and white sugar; set aside.
In a separate large bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press half of mixture in the bottom of a 9×13 inch pan. Cover with berries. Sprinkle remaining crumble mixture over the berries.
Bake in the preheated oven 40 minutes, or until fruit is bubbly and topping is golden brown.

Note: I made mine in two 8×8 pans. One to keep, one to give away.

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Frozen Mocha Toffee-Crunch Terrine

June 29, 2010 – 9:11 am

Yum! Just saw this over on Martha Stewart’s website. Although I haven’t made it yet, I can tell by what’s in it that I would LOVE it. This is definitely on the top of my “to make” list. It starts out with a creamy base of marscapone cheese, fresh whipped cream and vanilla. Then you divide it in three equal parts and add toffee bits to one, chocolate to another, and coffee to the last. In between layers are chocolate wafer cookies and the whole thing is frozen. Sounds amazing to me!!

Ingredients

Makes 16 slices.

19 chocolate wafer cookies
11 ounces mascarpone or cream cheese, or a combination
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup toffee bits
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons instant-coffee granules

Directions

Line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with 2 sheets of plastic wrap, with long sides overhanging by about 3 inches. Arrange 3 wafers, flat side up, in a row in the bottom of the pan.
In a large bowl, beat mascarpone and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla. In another bowl, beat cream until it holds soft peaks. In three additions, fold the whipped cream into the sweetened mascarpone with a rubber spatula.
In a bowl, mix 1 1/3 cups mascarpone mixture with toffee bits. In a separate bowl, mix another 1 1/3 cups mascarpone mixture with chocolate and cocoa powder. Dissolve the coffee in 1 teaspoon hot water; stir into the remaining mascarpone mixture.
Spread coffee mixture in prepared pan. Cover with 8 wafers, overlapping if necessary. Spoon chocolate mixture into pan; cover with 8 wafers. Spoon toffee mixture into pan.
Wrap pan with overhanging plastic; freeze at least 4 hours and up to 2 weeks. To serve, invert onto a serving platter. Remove plastic. Let terrine sit 5 minutes, then cut into slices.

Tip: Run a sharp knife under hot water to cut this layered cake into neat slices.

Source: Marthastewart.com

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Summer Berry Pie

June 22, 2010 – 1:31 pm

I LOVE this pie for so many reasons. It’s incredibly delicious and pretty low maintenance as far as pies go. With a simple graham cracker crust, there is no fussing with cutting butter into flour, chilling, rolling, making a lattice top, etc. Additionally, only the crust needs to be baked. The actual filling consists of a mixed berry puree that is cooked briefly with cornstarch to thicken for the bottom layer, and the remainder of the mixed berries are tossed with a bit of jam for the top layer. The whole thing is refrigerated to set up, and that is all there is to it!

For Graham Cracker Crust
9 graham crackers, broken into big chunks
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For Berry Filling
2 10oz bags (20 ounces) of frozen mixed berries, thawed completely.
2 c. fresh raspberries (about 9 ounces)
2 c. fresh blackberries (about 11 ounces)
2 c. fresh blueberries (about 10 ounces)
½ c. granulated sugar (3½ ounces)
3 Tbsp cornstarch
⅛ tsp salt
1 Tbsp lemon juice from 1 lemon
3 Tbsp red currant jelly

FOR THE CRUST: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.
In food processor, process graham crackers until evenly fine, about 30 seconds (you should have 1 cup crumbs). Add sugar and pulse to combine. Continue to pulse while adding warm melted butter in steady stream; pulse until mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer crumbs to 9-inch glass pie plate; form crust using ½-cup dry measuring cup to push the crumbs up the sides of the pie plate and tamp them down firmly. Bake crust until fragrant and beginning to brown, 15 to 18 minutes; transfer to wire rack and cool completely while making filling.

FOR THE FILLING: Combine berries in large colander and gently rinse (taking care not to bruise them); spread berries on paper towel-lined rimmed baking sheet and gently pat dry with additional paper towels.
In food processor, puree the previously frozen, now thawed mixed berries until smooth and fully pureed, about 1 minute. Strain puree through mesh strainer into small nonreactive saucepan, scraping and pressing on seeds to extract as much puree as possible (you should have 1½ cups). Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt in small bowl to combine, then whisk mixture into puree. Bring puree to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon; when mixture reaches a boil and is thickened to consistency of pudding, remove from heat, stir in lemon juice, and set aside to cool slightly.
While puree is cooling, place fresh berries in medium bowl. Heat jelly in second small saucepan over low heat until fully melted; drizzle melted jelly over berries and toss gently to coat. Pour slightly cooled puree into cooled pie shell; top with fresh berries. Loosely cover pie with plastic wrap; refrigerate until chilled and puree has set, about 4 hours (or up to 1 day).

Source: Cook’s Illustrated and Annie’s Eats

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Memorial Day Series – Red, White and Blue Ice Cream Cupcakes

May 26, 2010 – 8:15 am


I thought in honor of Memorial Day that I would do a series of recipes perfect for patriotic entertaining. First things first, dessert!! Ice cream and cake are the quintessential all American dessert. These cupcakes are perfectly patriotic and will go over well with kids, 1 to 100!

Yield: 24 cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 batch white cake batter*
Red and blue food coloring
1 batch vanilla bean ice cream (I used homemade, straight from the ice cream maker as it is very easy to top the cupcakes)
Fresh strawberry slices and fresh blueberries

*Note: A full recipe of cake batter could make a TON of these cupcakes. I usually only make 24 because I don’t have more cupcake pans or room in my freezer for more, but you could make extra with the full batch of batter (or bake an extra cake layer for fun).

Directions:
Preheat oven and prepare white cake batter as directed. Line two cupcake pans with foil liners. Divide the cake batter into two separate bowls, coloring one half with red and one half with blue food coloring. Drop approximately two tablespoons of batter into each cupcake liner so that you have 12 red and 12 blue cupcakes. Bake in the preheated oven until the cake is baked through and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Baking time will depend on the cake recipe you use, but for me it was about 10-11 minutes.) Allow to cool in the pans to room temperature. Then freeze for 15-30 minutes.
Once the cupcakes have frozen slightly, fill each cupcake liner to the top with vanilla ice cream. Freeze until firm and ready to serve. Just before serving, top the blue cupcakes with fresh strawberries and the red cupcakes with fresh blueberries.

Source: annies-eats.com

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

May 12, 2010 – 3:43 pm


These come from my very favorite food blogger, Annie (you can find a link to her site on my side bar). They are amazing!!

Yield:24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)

For the filling:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
7 oz. sweetened condensed milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

For the frosting:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
3½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. salt
3 tbsp. milk
2½ tsp. vanilla extract

For decoration:
Tiny chocolate chip cookies
Mini chocolate chips

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (24 total). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the cookie dough filling, combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up a bit, about an hour.
To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake. Fill each hole with a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture.
To make the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy. Mix in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Beat in the flour and salt. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.
Frost the filled cupcakes as desired, sprinkling with mini chocolate chips and topping with mini chocolate chip cookies for decoration.

Source and picture: http://annies-eats.com

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Key Lime Bars

May 12, 2010 – 1:55 pm

I adore Key Lime Pie. Here’s a little version you can hold in your hand :)

1 cup finely ground graham cracker crumbs
2 1/2 tablespoons finely ground graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 large egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
2/3 cup fresh Key lime juice , (about 23 Key limes total) ( they also sell key lime juice in the store- I find it at Winco)
1 cup sweetened condensed milk, (14 ounces)
2 Key limes, thinly sliced into half-moons

Make crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a small bowl. Press evenly onto bottom of an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Bake until dry and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.(Leave oven on.)
Make filling: Put egg yolks and lime zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on high speed until very thick, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add condensed milk in a slow, steady stream, mixing constantly. Raise speed to high; mix until thick, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add lime juice; mix until just combined.
Spread filling evenly over crust using a spatula. Bake, rotating dish halfway through, until filling is just set, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or overnight).
Cut into 2-by-2-inch bars. Garnish bars with whipped cream and a slice of lime.

Source: Martha Stewart Living

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