Showing posts with label dessert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dessert. Show all posts

Thursday, May 17, 2012

A New Spin on Peach Cobbler

Like everyone else, I peruse Pinterest. I wouldn't say I look at it all the time but of course I have lots of pins that I haven't "made" but always want to. So this weekend I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try a recipe.

I saw it a couple months back and thought it was so cute.



I looked at the recipe a couple days before to see if I needed to get anything at the store since I was headed there. The day of Mother's Day I looked at Pinterest again to see what to do and the website with the recipe was gone! I Googled other canned peach cobbler recipes and found this one. The cobbler was easy to make so we took the pan of cobbler, the cones and ice cream to my parents' for the Mother's Day dinner.

After dinner, Ben scooped everything into the cones and served it up.
Our overall review was that, although it was fun to have it in the cone, it wasn't really beneficial to the cobbler. The cobbler was under the ice cream and obviously we ate the ice cream fairly quickly so as not to melt, but that didn't give it any chance to melt over the cobbler which is usually the best part of a cobbler--melted ice cream on top! Also, I am usually only one for using fresh fruit in cobblers and probably would not go the canned peach route again. Just not much flavor. 

A fun experiment but not over the top excited about it. Buy, hey, it was fun to actually try one of my pins!


Monday, October 10, 2011

Baking Binge

I am very happy to report that I have gotten back into enjoying cooking. For a couple of months there, I just really didn't want to do it. I did. But wasn't really loving it like usual. I would get hungry but just really wanted someone else to prepare the food for me.

I am also happy to report that with the cooking has come baking. Maybe it's me getting into the nesting phase. We shall see.

First off, last week, I started with Chocolate-Buttermilk Brownies. I got this recipe out of my trusty standby:
I'll spare you the step-by-step directions because you can simply visit their website to see for yourself but here is what my pan looked like. I added pecans to the frosting which was delicious and I love nuts in my brownies. They also were a little more like a cake and in the cookbook it says that another name for the brownies has been known as a Texas sheet cake. Whatever you want to call it, we called it yummy.
Next up, I had never made anything with yeast. Or that needed to rise. I don't know why. For some reason, bread just sounds intimidating to me. I feel like if one little thing went wrong, I would get discouraged and give up. I know, right? Great attitude. 

Anyway, I was flipping through my Pioneer Woman cookbook and decided I would give her cinnamon rolls a try. The recipe says that it will make 40-50 rolls. Well, Ben and I don't really need that many cinnamon rolls and I didn't want to use all those ingredients if they weren't going to turn out. I mean, 9 cups of flour is a lot! So I decided to cut the recipe into a quarter. I know, it's kind of weird but I thought half even still sounded like a lot. 

I even wrote in the cookbook what the measurements would be so I wouldn't get mixed up. However, for some reason when I got to the flour I only cut it in half. So I heated the milk, oil and sugar like the recipe says. 

Then I added the yeast.

Then I added too much flour. And the mixture was really dry. However, I still didn't catch my mistake. So, I mixed it the best I could. And set it out to let it rise. I let it "rise" for about two hours. I came home and it looked exactly the same.

I was discouraged. My mom stopped by and looked at it. We couldn't figure it out. All of a sudden the light bulb went on and I remembered how much flour I put in. I started over. First two steps down, mixed in the flour, let it rise and the rest was history.



Oh yeah, I added pecans to these, too. We like pecans.



Frosting mixture.

Well, hello lovelies.

On goes the goodness.

These were so good. I am so happy they turned out because I would have been discouraged if they didn't. Now that I have made them and know what to do, I would up the batch next time. They also really aren't that time consuming. Just simple, sugary, buttery, cinnamon-y goodness. And the maple frosting is to die for. We enjoyed them all weekend. Go to the PW website and make these and I promise you will please anyone  you want with these babies.






Thursday, October 6, 2011

The Time has Come...

A few weeks back when I got really excited about fall I got some mini Reese's peanut butter cups covered in fall foil to set in the coffee table candy dish. Well this little girl got to them:
Definitely came home one day and the bowl was empty. And then a few days later I came home and foil was regurgitated on the throw rug. Poor girl. 

Anyway, since the pup eating the candy, I haven't picked up anymore. However, I am getting a real hankering for my favorite fall candy:
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I don't know what it is about candy corn or when I even started liking it but I really love it. I could eat a lot of it I think. 

Obviously, my favorite flavor of the season is pumpkin spice. I love pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, cupcakes and would even like to try pumpkin pull apart bread.
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I may have to try this recipe at home.
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I am sorry but how good does this bread look? 
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It's really too bad we didn't grow any pumpkins in our garden this year. Maybe that can be on the docket for next year...

What are your favorite fall treats?




Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Tasty Tuesday: Chocolate Truffle Pie

Over the weekend Hub and I went to my grandparents' house with my parents for dinner. My mom was cooking dinner and taking it so I told her I would make a dessert. I was originally just going to do a chocolate pudding pie {quick and easy} however I came across this recipe the other day in an old Better Homes and Gardens magazine and thought it looked delicious and still pretty quick and easy. It delivered on all accords:

Chocolate Truffle Pie
Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
2 to 3 Tbsp ice-cold water

Filling:
12 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped, or 1 bag (11.5 oz) bittersweet chocolate chips
1 stick unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
3 large eggs
3/4 heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp kosher salt

1. Crust: In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add water, 1 Tbsp at a time, pulsing until dough begins to come together. On a lightly floured surface, shape dough into a 1 in. thick disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll disk into a 12 in. round. Transfer to a 9 in. pie plate, easing onto bottom and sides of the plate. Cut the dough along the edge, leaving a 1 in. border. Fold the edge of dough underneath itself to create a thicker 1/2 in. border that rests on the lip of the pie plate. Crimp if desired.

4. Prick bottom of pie dough all over with a fork. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Line dough with nonstick foil or parchment paper; fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until crust is firm, about 15 minutes. Remove foil and pie weights, return to oven and bake until crust is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Let cool completely.

{Here's where I tell you a little secret. I used pre-made store-bought pie crust. I know, I know, I'm a cheater, however, again, I was looking for a quick and easy dessert. Like the kind I had to serve in a few hours. So the pre-made served me well}

5.Filling: In a 2-quart heavy sauce pan, melt chocolate and butter over medium-low heat, 
stirring, until smooth smooth. remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, sugar, vanilla and salt.

 Add the chocolate mixture, whisking until fully incorporated.
 Scrape into cooled crust and bake until filling is puffed and set but the center still trembles slightly. 30 to 35 minutes.
 Let cool completely (filling will set as pie cools).
Served with whipped cream if desired. 

{Whipped cream wasn't part of the recipe but since I had heavy whipping cream from the recipe, I just added a little vanilla and powdered sugar and whipped up some cream.}

This dessert was a definite crowd pleaser and will be made again. My grandma is a bit of a chocaholic and she couldn't get enough. I had to leave her a couple pieces for today. My dad likes rich food and he couldn't stop raving. And Hub. Well, Hub loves chocolate and rich food so, well, you can put those pieces together. Enjoy!

What is your favorite dessert? Do you have a go-to dessert that you like to whip up in a pinch? Are you partial to chocolate or fruity desserts? Or both?!



Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Tasty Tuesday

Tasty Tuesday
Alrighty, folks, time for another edition of "Tasty Tuesday!" This recipe was actually made a few months back for my dad's birthday. I have not done much cooking this week as a result of Hub's work schedule so I decided to pull from the archives. It is from one of my favorite cookbooks Taste of Home: Baking Classics.


Applescotch Crisp
350 degrees for 45-50 mins.
4 C sliced peeled tart apples
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1 tbsp. plus 2/3 C all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 C water
1/4 C milk
1/2 C quick-cooking oats
1 package (3-1/2 onces) cook and serve butterscotch pudding mix
1/4 C sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C butter, cubed
Ice cream, optional

1. Place the apples in an ungreased 11in. x 7in. x 2in. baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk the brown sugar, 1 tbsp. flour, water and milk. Pour over apples.

2. In another bowl, combine oats, pudding mix, sugar, cinnamon, salt and the remaining flour. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbles. Sprinkle over apples.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until topping is golden brown and fruit is tender. Serve with ice cream if desired.


This dessert was super easy and super yummy. There really is nothing like the scent of apples and cinnamon baking to make your home feel warm and cozy.

What desserts have you been baking lately? What is your favorite go-to dessert? What fruit do you prefer in a dessert?

Feel free to link up and share your favorite dessert!


Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Cake Mix Magic!

A little while ago, my grandma gave my this cookbook called "Cake Mix Magic." All of the recipes including cookies, bars, etc. use a box cake mix and then some add-ins. Well, a couple of weeks ago when I bought a yellow cake mix for the Hub's birthday cake and the box cake mixes were on sale so of course, I stocked up on a few. SO, the other day I was looking through this cookbook to use one of the boxes I have and of course I come across a pumpkin bar recipe. Well, I was feeling very "fallish" that day so I decide I have to make the Pumpkin Snack Bars. The irony of it all? It calls for a box mix that I hadn't stocked up on. I have my mind set on these bars so of course, I head to the store to get...Spice Cake Mix! All worth it because they are delicious and so easy so I thought I would share!
Pumpkin Snack Bars:
Cake:
1 package spice cake mix
1 can (16oz.) pumpkin
3/4 cup Miracle Whip or Miracle Whip Light Dressing
3 eggs
Frosting:
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

CAKE BLEND cake mix, pumpkin, dressing and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Pour into greased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. BAKE at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack.
FROSTING BLEND all ingredients with an electric mixer on low speed until moistened. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Spread over cake. Cut into bars. Makes about 3 dozen bars.

Enjoy!