Category Archives: Desserts

November 17, 2012 · 8:49 am

Thanksgiving Dessert: Coconut Cream Pie Bars

Looking for a non-pumpkin dessert to add to your Thanksgiving menu?

How about a creamy coconut cream pie filling on a shortbread crust with the thinnest layer of chocolate ganache squeezed in, then topped with whipped cream and toasted coconut?! And since they are so addicting, make them in a 9×13” pan so there are plenty of leftovers for the next day.

Move over pumpkin pie!

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Recipe adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

RECIPE:

Coconut Cream Pie Bars

Servings: Makes 24 bars
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Crust:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons powdered sugar
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) salted butter, cut into pieces

Ganache:
¼ cup heavy cream
¾ cup chocolate chips (bittersweet or semisweet)

Coconut Cream Filling:
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups (2 cans) coconut milk
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream
4 eggs, beaten
½ teaspoon coconut extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cup sweetened, flaked coconut, toasted*

Whipped Cream Topping:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
¼ cup coconut, toasted*

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with baking Pamm (the kind with flour).

Crust: Combine the flour and powdered sugar; cut in the butter using a pastry blender, two knives or a food processor. Press the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 14-18 minutes until the crust is light brown. Cool crust on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Ganache: Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Heat ¼ cup cream in a Pyrex measuring cup in the microwave for 45 seconds, or until simmering. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let the mixture stand for 1-2 minutes, then stir until smooth. If chips do not completely melt, microwave for 20 seconds and stir again. Pour the chocolate over the bottom of the crust and smooth to the edges. Place pan in the fridge to chill until crust is cooled completely and ganache has hardened.

Filling: Use a whisk to mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in a large saucepan. Mix in coconut milk, half-and-half, cream, and beaten eggs. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly until it is very thick. If the mixtures has lumps, you can strain it through a fine mesh sieve. (If you whisk diligently while cooking, you will not need to strain the pudding). Remove from heat and stir in the coconut and vanilla extracts and toasted coconut. Pour the filling over the chilled ganache and refrigerate the bars until they are set, about 4 hours.

Topping: With a mixer, whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Spread the cream over the chilled bars; sprinkle with toasted coconut. Chill until ready to serve.

Makes 24 bars

*Notes:

** To toast the coconut, spread coconut onto a baking sheet and bake at 325°F, stirring every 5 minutes for about 15 minutes, or until light brown. Watch closely so it doesn’t burn.

** If you are making these bars ahead of time, prepare the crust, chocolate and filling and refrigerate. Add the whipped cream topping just before serving. Whipped cream will begin to get watery if left in the refrigerator for more than a day.

** Halve recipe to make in a deep-dish pie pan or 8×8” pan.

(Recipe adapted from melskitchencafe)

NoEmptyChairs.me

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November 12, 2012 · 10:19 am

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Due to a late Halloween (thanks to Hurricane Sandy) and an earlier than usual Thanksgiving, it is time to do some serious Thanksgiving planning around here!

This is a quick and easy dessert perfect for any fall holiday or for surprising the kids with a mid-week dessert just for the fun of it. It is amazing the bewildered (but joyful) looks on their faces when you produce dessert without any other reason than that you love them.

RECIPE:

Pumpkin Sheet Cake (or Pumpkin Bars) with Cream Cheese Icing

4 eggs
1 2/3 cup sugar
1 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 16oz can of pumpkin (about 2 cups)
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Using a mixer, beat eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla and pumpkin until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Fold into pumpkin mixture.

Spray a 15x10x1” jelly roll pan to make Pumpkin Bars or a 9×13” pan to make a Pumpkin Sheet Cake with cooking spray (preferably the kind with flour made for baking). Spread batter into prepared pan.

Baking Times: For 15×10” pan: Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until set.
For 9×13” pan: Bake for 35-45 minutes.

Cool in pan; frost in pan.

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CREAM CHEESE ICING:
1 – 8oz package of cream cheese
½ cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
Pumpkin pie spice and/or cinnamon (optional)
Toasted finely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Using a mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in powdered sugar. Optional: beat in about ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon, if desired.

Frost cooled cake. Sprinkle with nuts and/or pumpkin pie spice for garnish.

Refrigerate cake until ready to serve.

NoEmptyChairs.me

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Tagged as baking, cream cheese icing, dessert, food, pumpkin, pumpkin bars, pumpkin cake, recipe

October 18, 2012 · 9:54 pm

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Fall and pumpkin just seem to go hand in hand. Cream cheese, however, that is an all-season ingredient. Paired together you get a moist, delicious muffin perfect for any time of the year.

A crunchy, sugary topping on a pumpkin-pie-spiced-cheesecakey muffin. Now all we need is some hot cocoa.

RECIPE:

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Servings: 15-18
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Muffin Batter:
1 cup pumpkin
¾ cup oil
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups flour
2 Tbs buttermilk powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground allspice

Cream Cheese Swirl:
8 oz (1 pkg) cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbs flour

Topping:
2 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs flour
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbs butter, cold

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line muffin pans with paper liners.

Muffin Batter: Using an electric mixer, beat together the pumpkin, oil, sugars, eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, buttermilk powder, salt, baking soda and spices. Add dry ingredients to mixing bowl and beat until just combined.

Cream Cheese Swirl: With a mixer, beat cream cheese and egg until combined. Beat in powdered sugar and flour.

Topping: Mix the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until crumbly.

Fill each muffin paper about 1/3 full with muffin batter (about 2 Tbs). Add a small spoonful of filling (about 1-2 tsp). Repeat layers in each muffin cup. Using a table knife, gently swirl batters. Sprinkle topping over the swirled muffin batter.

Bake at 350˚ F for 17-20 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing.

Makes 15-18 muffins

NoEmptyChairs.me

Chocolate Covered Bat and Mummy Cookies

Mummy Cookies have long been a tradition for Halloween baking at our house. It is our only Halloween baking tradition. Until today! We have now added chocolate covered bat cookies to our short list of Halloween favorites.

I added mint extract to a chocolate cut-out cookie recipe and covered the cookies in a dark chocolate coating. These quickly became the adult favorite. Neither Brian nor I are a big fan of white chocolate. But a cookie that tastes like a Girls’ Scout Thin Mint cookie? Absolutely!

I used an orange gel icing for the eyes, but it didn’t set firmly. Next time I will use a bright orange melted colored candy coating to make eyes. I had a pale green colored chocolate that I thought would look nice, but it was too pale, so I went with the gel icing.

A naked bat ready to take the plunge:

These white chocolate covered chocolate mummies are still the kids’ favorite (except for Little A- I usually make a few vanilla mummies for him, and he picks the eyes off).

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For recipe and details on making Mummy Cookies, click HERE.

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RECIPE:

Chocolate Covered Bat Cookies

Servings: about 4 dozen
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2 ½ cups flour
1 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
10 Tbs butter, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp pure peppermint extract, optional
about 2 pounds dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
colored candy coating or frosting for eyes

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed for 1 minute. Reduce speed to medium-low, and add eggs and peppermint extract. Slowly add flour mixture, and beat until just incorporated.

Divide dough in half and place on two large pieces of plastic wrap. Wrap dough securely in the plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1-2 hours, or several days.

When ready to bake, place dough on a new piece of plastic wrap. Press with hands to make a thick disk of dough. Place another piece of plastic wrap over dough and use a rolling pin to flatten dough to about 1/4 inch. Remove top piece of plastic wrap and cut out cookies with a cookie cutter.

Bake cookies for 10 minutes, or until dry to the touch. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet before transferring cookies to wire racks to cool.

Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl in the microwave or in a double boiler (melt chocolate slowly). Dunk cookies into melted chocolate. Use a fork to turn the cookie over in the chocolate. Pick up the cookie with the fork, let excess chocolate drip off, and gently scrape bottom against edge of bowl. Place on parchment (or waxed paper)-lined baking sheets. Let chocolate harden. (TIME SAVING NOTE: You can also just use your fingers to hold the cookie and only dunk the top and sides of the cookie, gently scraping the excess chocolate off of the top of the cookie before placing it on the parchment paper) To make eyes, place melted candy coating in a Ziploc or pastry bag. Poke a small hole in the end with a toothpick and pipe eyes onto bats.

Makes about 4 dozen, depending on the size of your cookies.

Cookie dough recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

NoEmptyChairs.me

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Tagged as baking, bat cookies, Cookies, cut out cookies, Halloween, mint chocolate, mummy cookies, recipe

October 2, 2012 · 2:07 pm

Autumn Spiced Fall Leaf Cookies

Leaves are starting to change here in Pennsylvania, so it seems only right to reflect the changes outside with some multi-colored fall leaf cookies made with delicious warm autumn spices.

These cookies are actually easier to make than regular sugar cookies, because you don’t need to frost them. Colorful dough with a shiny glaze makes them beautiful all on their own. And much less sweet than a traditional sugar cookie.

I used a brown sugar cookie dough from Bake at 350 that is spiced with wonderful fall flavors like cinnamon, ginger and allspice. I like this dough for making these leaves because the dough doesn’t lose its shape as it cooks, so the cookies keep their sharp edges and leaf “veins” etched into the top.

To make multicolored leaf cookies:

Separate cookie dough into four portions. Place in Ziploc bags. Add gel food coloring (I like the Ateco brand) to bags and knead until dough is a uniform color.

To make multicolored leaves, place small balls of different colored dough on a floured pastry mat. Press with hands to flatten and fill in spaces. Roll gently with a rolling pin to flatten evenly. Make sure that the seams between the different colors are all sealed.

Cut out leaves with cookie cutters and place on parchment paper or silicon mat lined baking sheets.

Use a sharp paring knife to draw veins into dough.

Baking leaves plain will result in a rustic, matted look to the leaves:

For a shiny finish on your cookies, brush with a glaze (add a little almond or orange extract for a great flavor) before baking:

As you re-roll the dough, the colors take on more of a tie-dyed or marbled look.

These cookies are great fun for kids, and really taste great.

RECIPE:

Spiced Brown Sugar Cut-Out Cookies

Servings: about 3 dozen
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3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
½ cup sugar
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices with a whisk to mix. (The amounts of spices given make a mildly spiced cookie. For a more pronounced flavor, increase spice amounts)

Using an electric mixer, mix the sugar, brown sugar, and butter. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla. On low speed, beat in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Dough will be stiff.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about ¼-inch thickness. Cut out dough with cookie cutters and place on baking sheets. Bake for 9-12 minutes, depending on the size of your cookie cutter. Decorate as desired.

Yield: about 3 dozen cookies using a 3” cookie cutter

To make Fall Leaves:

Additional ingredients:
Gel food coloring (I used red, green orange and yellow)
Glaze:
½ cup water
½ cup sugar
2 Tbs ClearJel or cornstarch
2 Tbs water
1 tsp almond or orange extract

Prepare cookie dough and divide into four portions. Place in Ziploc bags. Add gel food coloring (I like the Ateco brand) to bags and knead until dough is a uniform color. Place small balls of different colored dough on a floured pastry mat. Press with hands to flatten and fill in spaces. Roll gently with a rolling pin to flatten evenly. Make sure that the seams between the different colors are all sealed. Cut out leaves with cookie cutters and place on parchment paper or silicon mat lined baking sheets. Use a sharp paring knife to draw veins into dough. Baking leaves plain will result in a rustic, matted look to the leaves.

For a shiny finish on your cookies, prepare glaze: combine 1/2 cup each water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; boil 2 minutes. Stir together ClearJel or cornstarch and 2 Tbs water; stir into pan a little at a time until glaze just begins to thicken. Return to a boil and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in almond or orange extract. Brush lightly onto raw cookie dough (after cutting out and placing on baking sheets). Bake as directed above.

Fall leaves inspired by HGTV, as seen on Pinterest

Cookie dough recipe from Bake at 350

NoEmptyChairs.me

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Tagged as autumn cookies, baking, clear cookie glaze, Cookies, fall leaves, leaf cookies, recipes, seasonal, spiced sugar cookies

September 11, 2012 · 10:39 am

Triple Chocolate Nutella Zucchini Muffins

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We are still working on getting through the numerous monster zucchini that came out of our zucchini forest this summer.

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After a fall at a church young women camp, I spent most of the summer in this:

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I had spent a good portion of spring digging out old dirt and hauling in new topsoil to help rejuvenate our garden. The new soil made a huge difference and we ended up with zucchini plants that were almost as tall as me. I realize that at 5’2”, that is not a huge accomplishment, but for zucchini, I thought that was pretty impressive. Our garden is planted on a tiered hill, which was impossible for me to navigate in my new fashionable summer footwear. The plants were so tall that I had a really hard time getting my kids to wade through the jungle looking for squash. For some reason ratatouille and zucchini fritters (some of my favorites) were not a huge motivation for them to risk life and limb in the outback. However, when I switched to making zucchini brownies, pumpkin zucchini muffins and these chocolate zucchini muffins, I found I had ample volunteers!

And when they came across this little guy hiding out in the cucumber plants, they spent a good portion of the rest of the summer searching for living, crawling things in the garden.

If you still have zucchini that you are working your way through, these muffins, spiked with Nutella and chocolate chips, make for a great breakfast (especially for a couple dozen awesome teenagers at 6am!) or a much appreciated lunchbox addition.

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RECIPE:

Triple Chocolate Nutella Zucchini Muffins

Servings: 36
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3 eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 cup Nutella
1 ½ cups brown sugar
½ cup buttermilk or kefir (or sour milk**)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
3 ½ cups flour
½ cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cardamom or nutmeg
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line regular muffin pans with paper or foil cups. Or use large Reynolds Foil 3 ½” baking cups (these are self-standing-just arrange on a baking sheet).

In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, oil, Nutella, brown sugar, buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in zucchini.

In a separate bowl, use a whisk to mix flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and cardamom or nutmeg. Add mixed dry ingredients to wet ingredients in the mixing bowl and mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon into muffin cups (fill about 3/4 full).

For regular muffins: Bake 15-18 minutes.
For large muffins: Bake 20-25 minutes.

Yield: About 36 regular muffins or 20 large muffins (made with 3 ½” baking cups)

**To make sour milk: place 1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar in a ½ cup measuring cup. Add milk to ½ cup line. Let sit 5 minutes.

NoEmptyChairs.me

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Tagged as baking, chocolate, muffins, Nutella, recipe, zucchini