Dessert Recipes
Cakes & Pie Strawberry Shortcake 1½ lbs strawberries, stemmed and quartered 3 T. sugar 2 C. all-purpose flour 2 t. baking powder ¼ t. baking soda 2 T. sugar ¾ t. salt 1½ C. heavy cream 1½ C. heavy cream, chilled 3 T. sugar 1½ t. vanilla extract 1 t. grated lemon zest
Mix strawberries with 3 tbsp sugar and refrigerate while juices develop, at least 30 mins. Preheat the oven to 400°. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, remaining 2 tbs sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Add heavy cream and mix until just combined. Pour mixture in an 8” square pan and bake until golden, 18-20 mins. Place a metal bowl and beaters in the freezer during shortcake cooking time. Remove shortcake from pan and place on a rack to cool slightly. Cut into 6 pieces and split each piece in half horizontally. Mix all whipped cream ingredients in the metal bowl with metal beaters about 1½-2 mins. Spoon some of the strawberries with their juice onto each shortcake bottom. Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream and then the shortcake top. Spoon more strawberries over the top and serve.
Caramel Apple Pie Crust 1½ C. graham cracker crumbs 3 T. sugar ½ t. cinnamon 1/3 C. butter, melted ¾ C. caramel sauce 1 C. chopped pecans Filling 5 Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored, sliced very thin) 5 T. butter ½ C. brown sugar ¼ t. salt 1 t. cinnamon Topping 8 oz cream cheese 1 t. vanilla 1 egg 1 T. lemon juice ¼ C. sugar ¾ C. heavy cream, whipped 2 T. sugar ½ C. caramel sauce ¼ C. chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 375°. In a medium bowl, combine the crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. Mix well and press into a 10” pie plate and up the sides. Bake for 6-8 minutes until golden in color. Remove pie shell from oven and cool completely. Pour caramel into pie shell and sprinkle with 1 cup pecans. Refrigerate pie shell while making apple filling. In a large 12” skillet over medium heat, melt butter and add brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Stir with a wooden spoon. Add apples and stir. Cook over medium to medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes until apples are softened and tender. Let cool for 10 mins and pour into pie shell. Reduce oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, using a hand-held mixer on low speed, combine cream cheese and sugar for about 1 minute until smooth. Add egg, lemon juice and vanilla and beat for 1 minute or until fully blended. Pour over apple filling in pie shell. Bake for 30 minutes until an inserted knife comes out clean. Remove pie from oven and let cool. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Let stand outside the refrigerator for 30 mins. Top with whipped cream, caramel and pecans, and swirl with a knife. Slice and serve.
Lime Curd 8 T. unsalted butter, rm temp 1 C. sugar 2 large eggs 2 large egg yolks 1/3 C. + 4 T. fresh lime juice Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer. Slowly add the eggs and yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour in lime juice and mix again. Expect the mixture to look curdled, this is normal. Cook the mixture over medium heat in a medium-size saucepan until it looks smooth. Increase the heat slightly and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens. Clip a thermometer to the side of the pan and cook until the mixture reaches 170°. Remove the curd from the heat. Transfer the curd to a bowl and press plastic wrap on the surface of the lime curd to keep a skin from forming. Chill the curd in the refrigerator.
Raspberry Curd ½ C. unsalted butter 1 pint ripe raspberries 5 large egg yolks, lightly beaten ¾ C. sugar Pinch of salt In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add raspberries, egg yolks, sugar, and salt. Cook, mashing the berries and stirring constantly until thick — about 10 mins. Pour the mixture in a strainer set over a bowl, pressing to extract as much as possible. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. Curd will thicken as it cools.
Cheesecake Bars Crust 2 C. graham crackers 8 T. unsalted butter, melted Filling 2 8oz bricks cream cheese, softened ½ C. granulated sugar 2 large eggs + 1 large egg white 2 T. all purpose flour ½ C. sour cream 1 t. vanilla extract ¾ C. prepared lime/raspbery curd, divided liquid food coloring
Preheat oven to 325°. Line a 10×10 pan with parchment that overhangs the edges. Mix the butter and graham crackers together and press into the bottom of the pan evenly. Bake crust for 5 minutes and allow to cool completely. Tint the ¾ cup of lime curd with the liquid food coloring until lime-rind green. Beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with mixer on medium high speed until smooth. Beat in eggs on low speed, 1 at a time. Beat in sour cream and vanilla, then flour just until blended. Remove 1 cup of batter and reserve. Pour the rest of the batter over the crust. Mix 1/2 cup of tinted lime curd with the 1 cup of reserved batter. Place spoonfuls or dollops of this mixture in no particular fashion on top of the plain cheesecake batter. Dollop the remaining ¼ cup of lime curd across the previous mixture. Use skewer to swirl the mixtures together to create a marbleized effect. Bake for 35 mins. Let cool completely in pan then refrigerate. Lift cheesecake out of the pan with parchment overhang. Cut into bars before serving.
Bailey's Cheesecake Crust 10 graham crackers, broken 1¼ C. walnuts ¼ C. sugar ¾ stick of melted sweet butter Filling ½ lb cream cheese, rm temp ¾ C. sugar 3 large eggs 1/3 C. Bailey's Irish Cream 1 t. vanilla extract 3 oz white chocolate, broken Topping 1½ C. sour cream ¼ powdered sugar 1½ oz white chocolate, grated
Preheat oven to 325°. Lightly butter a 9 inch cheesecake pan. Finely grind crackers, walnuts and sugar in processor. Add butter and blend. Press into bottom of pan. Refrigerate for twenty minutes. Using mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. In another bowl, whisk eggs, Bailey's Irish Cream and vanilla until just blended. Beat egg mixture into cream cheese mixture. Finely chop white chocolate in processor. Add chocolate to filling. Transfer filling to crust lined pan. Bake until the edges of the filling are puffed and the center is set about 50 minutes. Cool on rack. Mix sour cream and powdered sugar. Spread topping onto cooled cake. Refrigerate about 6 hours. Sprinkle grated white chocolate and walnuts on top before serving.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Crust 1 C. graham cracker crumbs ½ C. finely ground ginger cookies 1 T. granulated white sugar 4-5 T. unsalted butter, melted Filling 2/3 C. light brown sugar ½ t. ground cinnamon ¼ t. ground ginger 1/8 t. ground cloves 1/8 t. ground nutmeg ¼ t. salt 1 lb cream cheese, rm temp 3 large eggs 1 t. pure vanilla extract 1 C. pumpkin puree Topping 1 C. sour cream 1 t. pure vanilla extract ¼ C. granulated white sugar
Preheat oven to 350° and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. grease an 8� spring form pan. In a medium sized bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, cookies, sugar, and melted butter. Press the mixture onto the bottom of the prepared spring form pan. Cover and refrigerate while you make the cheesecake filling. In a separate bowl, stir to combine the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. In another bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add the sugar mixture and beat until creamy and smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree. Pour the filling over the chilled ginger crust and place the spring form pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Place a cake pan, filled halfway with hot water, on the bottom shelf of your oven to moisten the air. Bake the cheesecake for 30 mins. Reduce temperature to 325° and bake the cheesecake for another 10-20 mins, or until the edges of the cheesecake are puffed but the center is still wet and jiggles when you gently shake the pan. Whisk together the sour cream, vanilla extract and sugar. Pour the sour cream mixture over the top of the baked cheesecake and rotate the pan slightly to evenly distribute the topping. Return the cheesecake to the oven and bake 8 mins. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Loosen the cake from the pan by running a sharp knife around the inside edge (this will help prevent the cake from cracking). Then place a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the pan so the cheesecake will cool slowly. When completely cooled, cover and refrigerate at least eight hours or overnight before serving.
Peach Cheesecake Crust 1½ C. graham cracker crumbs 1 T. granulated white sugar 4-5 T. unsalted butter, melted Filling 1 lb. sliced peaches in syrup 2 T. cornstarch 1 C. sugar 2 T. honey 1½ t. pumpkin pie spice (nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, cloves) 1½ t. pure vanilla 2 eggs, beaten 1 T. lemon juice 3oz cream cheese, softened ½ C. vanilla yogurt butter, softened
Preheat oven to 425°. Drain peaches, reserving syrup. In a bowl, combine syrup, cornstarch, ½ cup sugar, honey, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla. In a small saucepan, combine eggs, ½ cup sugar, lemon juice and and 2 tbsp. of the reserved syrup. Cook over medium heat, uncovered, until the mixture has thickened. Blend cream cheese with yogurt. Stir this into the mixture in the saucepan and beat until smooth. Allow to cool for 30 mins. In a medium sized bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press the mixture onto the bottom of the prepared spring form pan. After mixture cools, fill pie crust with peach mixture. Dot with pats of butter. Cover with cheesecake spiced mixture. Bake for 10 mins. Shield edge of pie with foil and reduce oven temperature to 350°. Bake for another 30-35 mins, or until deep golden brown.
Cookies Flourless Chocolate Cookies 3 C. powdered sugar 2/3 C. unsweetened dark chocolate cocoa powder 1/8 t. salt 2-4 large egg whites, at room temperature 1 T. pure vanilla extract 1½ C. 60% cacao chocolate chips Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar with cocoa powder and salt. Whisk in the vanilla and egg whites starting with just two. Beat just until the batter is moistened. You’re looking for a brownie-like batter consistency. If it seems too thick, add another egg white– then ¼ of one if it still seems too thick. Stir in the chocolate chips. Scoop the batter by the tablespoon full onto baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 mins, until the tops are glossy and lightly cracked.
Vanilla Shortbread Cookies 2 C. all-purpose flour ½ t. salt 2 sticks unsalted butter, rm temp ½ C. confectioners' sugar 1 t. vanilla extract In one bowl, sift together the flour and salt. In a another bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Add vanilla and mix. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined, do not over-mix. Turn dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap, separate into workable sized mounds and wrap tightly- pressing into disks about 1-2" thick. Refrigerate disks until they have firmed up, about an hour. Line your baking sheets and preheat oven to 325°. Roll out your disks, one at a time, on a lightly floured surface, until about 1/4" thick. Cut into designs or rectangles. Place onto sheet pan 1 inch apart. Place back into the refrigerator to firm up once more, another 25 mins. Bake until firm, 12-15 mins. Let cool completely on a wire rack and enjoy!
Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies 2 sticks unsalted butter, rm temp 2 t. Meyer lemon zest, finely grated 1 C. superfine sugar ½ t. salt 1 large egg + 1 large yolk 2 t. vanilla 2½ C. all-purpose flour Cream butter, lemon zest, sugar, and salt in a large bowl with a mixer at medium speed. Add in the egg yolk until well blended, and then the egg and the vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add in the flour until just combined. Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (up to 2 days). Preheat oven to 375°, placing the two racks on the upper third and lower third of the oven. Working with one batch of dough at a time, roll out the dough to 1/8” thickness. Cut out shapes using cutters. Bake 2 sheets at a time until the cookies are slightly golden brown at the edges, 6-8 mins. If your cookies are thicker than 1/8”, they may need longer. After baking, immediately transfer to a cooling rack and cool to room temperature.
Ice Cream & Popsicles Apple Ice Creams 2 T. butter ½ C. firmly packed brown sugar Ÿ C. golden syrup Ÿ C. cold water pinch salt 1 can sweetened condensed milk 1 t. vanilla extract 2 T. brandy red apples ice cream chopped nuts Place the butter in a saucepan and melt it. Add the brown sugar, golden syrup, water and salt. Heat gently at first and stir constantly as the sugar dissolves. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat, and add the condensed milk, vanilla and brandy. Stir until well combined and has a good caramel color; remove from heat. Cut top off the apple, and scoop out all the inside flesh. If you want to do this more than 5 minutes before serving, squeeze lemon juice over the apple to stop it browning. Fill the apple with a scoop or two of ice cream, and drizzle with the warm caramel. Top with chopped nuts and serve.
Berry Yogurt Popsicles Purple 1 C. blueberries ½ C. blackberries 6 oz fat free blueberry yogurt 1 C. crushed ice White 14 oz fat free vanilla yogurt 2 T. sugar 1 C. crushed ice Pink ¾ C. raspberries ¾ C. strawberries 6 oz fat free strawberry yogurt 1 C. crushed ice Blend each color smoothie separately in a blender and set aside. Pour the first color into the popsicle mold 1/3 of the way and freeze for 30 minutes. Remove from the freezer and insert the sticks, then freeze one hour. Add the white yogurt into each popsicle mold 1/3 of the way and freeze an additional hour. Add the purple smoothie and fill it to the top of the mold and freeze until ready to eat.
Key Lime Fudge 1/3 C. unsalted butter ¼ C. sugar 1¼ C. graham cracker crumbs 3 C. quality white chocolate, finely chopped 1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk 1 T. finely grated Key Lime zest ¼ C. Key Lime Juice Line 8x8-inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper. Butter sides and bottom of pan; set aside. For crust, heat oven to 375°. In a medium bowl, melt butter in microwave. Stir in sugar with fork, breaking up any lumps. Add graham cracker crumbs and toss to mix well. Spread evenly into pan and bake 4-5 mins or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool. Stir white chocolate and sweetened condensed milk in large saucepan over low heat until chocolate is melted and all lumps are gone. Remove from heat and stir in lime zest and lime juice. Spread mixture evenly into pan. Cover and chill for 2 hours or overnight. Lift fudge from pan using overhanging foil or parchment paper and cut.
Holiday Treats Cheesecake Eggs hollow chocolate eggs White 5 oz cream cheese, softened ¼ C. powdered sugar, sifted ½ t. lemon juice ½ t. pure vanilla extract ½ C. heavy whipping cream, whipped Yolk 1 mandarin orange 1 T. apricot jam 1 T. unsalted butter Using a small serrated knife, carefully remove the tops of the chocolate eggs. Place the eggs in the fridge to keep them chilled while you prepare the cheesecake filling. Place the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat until mixture is smooth and fluffy. Set aside and carefully whip the cream in a separate mixing bowl to stiff peaks. Using a whisk, gently combine the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until it is smooth. Carefully spoon or pipe the mixture into the prepared chocolate shells. Chill eggs for at least 30 mins to allow it to set. Prepare the orange sauce; place in a small saucepan with the apricot jam and butter. Gently heat on low, whisking until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Place in the fridge and chill until it thickens slightly. Using a small spoon, carefully scoop out a hole in the center of each cheesecake. Fill hole with some of the chilled sauce and return the eggs to the fridge to chill again for at least 30 mins. Remove eggs from the fridge about 10 mins before serving.
Pumpkin Cake Cake 2 C. whole wheat cake flour 2 t. baking powder ½ t. baking soda ½ t. salt ½ T. ground ginger 1 t. ground cinnamon ½ t. freshly grated nutmeg ¼ t. ground cloves 1 stick unsalted butter, rm temp ¼ C. olive oil 1¼ C. packed light-brown sugar 2 large eggs ½ C. buttermilk ¾ C. pumpkin puree *Makes one recipe. To make a pumpkin, double the recipe but keep separate, and make 2 cakes Frosting 8 oz cream cheese, softened ¼ C. pumpkin purée ¼ C. unsalted butter, softened 1 T. orange juice 1 t. grated orange zest ½ t. vanilla extract 4 C. powdered sugar, sifted
Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 10 cup Bundt pan with cooking spray. Dust with flour, and tap out excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter, olive oil and brown sugar together on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2-3 mins. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to low. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk. Beat until just combined. Add pumpkin puree, and beat until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until golden and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40-45 mins. Let cool on a wire rack for 30 mins. Carefully turn cake onto rack too cool completely. Blend the cream cheese, pumpkin purÊe, butter, orange juice, zest, and vanilla in a large bowl using an electric mixer set at medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and creamy. Place one cake so widest point is at the top, fill with desired filling, frost around hole, and place other cake on top with widest point down. Frost both cakes and serve.