Category: DESSERTS

LEMON APPLE CRISP

LEMON APPLE CRISP

CRISP
2-3 large Granny Smith apples (4 Cups)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup apple juice

TOPPING
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 small box Cook & Serve Lemon Pudding (NOT instant)

Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large mixing bowl combine all CRISP ingredients and mix well. Pour into an un-greased stoneware pan.
In a mixing bowl combine the topping ingredients and mix until crumbly.
Sprinkle topping over apple mixture.
Bake 45-60 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is crisp and golden.
Serve warm with a scoop of French vanilla ice cream.

SWEET CREAM BISCUITS


SWEET CREAM BISCUITS
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1 1/4 cup heavy cream

  • Preheat oven to 425°.
  • Sift together the flours, salt, sugar and baking powder.
  • Pour in 1 cup of the heavy cream and mix together, adding more cream as necessary to make a soft dough.
  • You will need to knead by hand towards the end of mixing.
  • Turn out onto a floured surface and roll dough to 1/2 inch.
  • Cut out biscuits as close together as you can, stopping to re-knead dough and roll again to get the most of your dough.
  • Bake 15 minutes or until tall, golden and fluffy.
  • Makes 12~3 inch biscuits give or take.

Frosted Pineapple Cheesecake

CAKE:

1 box yellow cake mix*
1 (3-ounce) box Jell-O cheesecake pudding**
4 eggs
1/2 cup safflower oil
1 cup whole milk
1 large can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 cup sugar
  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. 
  • Mix together the cake mix and pudding mix. 
  • Add the oil and milk, beat well.
  • Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Beat until smooth. 
  • Pour into a well greased 9×13 baker. 
  • Bake 45-60 minutes (or until center springs back). 
  • While cake is baking mix together the pineapple and sugar on top of stove until sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil and let cool slightly. 
  • While cake is still hot, punch holes in cake with a large round chopstick and pour hot pineapple mixture over cake. 
  • Let cool.
FROSTING:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 1/2 – 3 cups powdered sugar

  • Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. 
  • Add lemon juice. 
  • Add powdered sugar gradually and beat until creamy. 
  • Spread over cooled cake. 
  • Refrigerate to set frosting.

*Also good with white or butter cake
**DO NOT USE sugar free!

Honey Banana Whole Wheat Bread

Honey Banana Whole Wheat Bread – 1 1/2 pound loaf

1/2 cup 1% milk, room temperature
1 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks
3 tablespoons honey
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup bread flour
1 medium banana sliced
1 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

 
The beauty of bread machines is that they always want the same layering.
Liquids
Butter chunks, vanilla, egg & honey
Flour & Sugar
Yeast
The key to any good bread is using quality fresh ingredients.
Just remember, garbage in is garbage out.
Let your bread maker do the rest!

CHOCOLATE DIPPED PEANUT BUTTER CRUNCH COOKIES

We love the aroma of fresh baked cookies around here. Baking is one of the things I try to do regularly. This week it was peanut butter crunch cookies dipped in chocolate.

This recipe makes 4-5 dozen cookies.

TUESDAY’S TIP: I split the dough into thirds and with wax paper makes cookie rolls. I freeze 2 of the rolls for future use and make 1 tray at a time so they are always fresh baked and I only make the mess once for 3 batches.

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter*
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 JUMBO eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Cream butter and peanut butter together. Be sure and scrape sides of bowl.
  • Add sugars and cream again.
  • Add 1 egg at a time until well blended.
  • Sift together dry ingredients and add in thirds until well blended.
  • Divide dough into thirds.
  • Roll 12 walnut sized balls.
  • Flatten with a fork.
  • Bake 10-12 minutes.
  • On wax paper roll the other 2 portions of dough and freeze for future use.
  • I sometimes dip them in melted almond bark.

*I prefer JIF or Skippy peanut butter

BANANA BREAD CAKE

BANANA BREAD CAKE
This recipes makes either two loaves of moist yummy banana bread or one 9×13 cake. Top it off with Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting for a super yummy dessert!



BREAD/CAKE
8 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained well*
3 large overripe bananas
2 JUMBO eggs
1 cup butter, softened
1/8-1/4 cup rum
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon PURE maple syrup
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 3/4 cups flour

  • Poor the rum over the raisins several hours before making the bread/cake.
  • In a sauce pan melt 1 stick of the butter. Stir in the brown sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon until well incorporated.
  • Add bananas stirring until smooth.
  • Add the raisins and nuts and blend well. Set aside to cool.
  • In a mixing bowl cream together the other stick of butter, sugar and eggs until well blended.
  • Sift the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder into the cream mixture and blend well. It will have a thick cookie like consistency.
  • Add the cooled banana mixture and blend until a smooth consistency.
  • Pour into 2 prepared large bread pans or a 9×13 pan.
  • Bake 45-50 minutes until tester comes out clean.
  • Top with PINEAPPLE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

*optional

PINEAPPLE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon reserved pineapple juice

  • In a bowl of electric mixer, combine cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and reserved pineapple juice. Beat until smooth and of spreading consistency.

OLD FASHIONED CHEESECAKE

For the crust:
1 3/4 cups ginger snap/vanilla wafer crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
2 pounds (four 8-ounce boxes) cream cheese, softened
1 1/3 cups maple sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons blackberry extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups sour cream or heavy cream, or a combination of the two

To make the crust:

  • Butter a 9-inch springform pan—choose one that has high sides. Mine is square.
  • Stir the crumbs, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour over the melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist.
  • Turn the ingredients into the buttered springform pan and use your fingers to pat an even layer of crumbs along the bottom of the pan and about halfway up the sides. Don’t worry if the sides are not perfectly even or if the crumbs reach above or below the midway mark on the sides.
  • Center a rack in the oven, preheat the oven to 350°F and place the springform on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.
  • Set the crust aside to cool on a rack while you make the cheesecake.
  • Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
To make the cheesecake:
  • Working in a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until it is soft and truly creamy, about 5 minutes.
  • With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt and continue to beat another 4 minutes or so, until the cream cheese is light. Beat in the vanilla and blackberry extract.
  • Add the eggs one by one, beating for a full minute after each addition. Reduce the mixer speed to low and stir in the sour cream and/or heavy cream.
  • Give the batter a few stirs with a rubber spatula, just to make sure that nothing has been left unmixed at the bottom of the bowl, and scrape the batter into the springform pan.
  • Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, at which point the top will be browned (and perhaps cracked) and may have risen just a little above the rim of the pan. Turn off the oven’s heat and open the door a crack.
  • Allow the cheesecake to sit for another hour.
  • After 1 hour, carefully remove from the oven and leet the cheesecake come to room temperature on a cooling rack.
  • Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen sides.
  • When the cake is cool, cover the top lightly and chill the cake for at least 6-8 hours, although overnight would be better.
Serving:
  • Remove springform sides. The easiest way to cut cheesecake is to use a long, thin knife that has been run under hot water and lightly wiped. Keep warming the knife as you cut slices of the cake.
Storing:
  • Wrapped well, the cake will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or for up to 2 months in the freezer. It’s best to defrost the still-wrapped cheesecake overnight in the refrigerator.

BANANA RAISIN NUT BREAD OR CAKE

BANANA RAISIN NUT BREAD OR CAKE
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, 1/2 soft & 1/2 melted
2 jumbo eggs
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 cup golden raisins, currants or craisins
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
2 large, RIPE bananas
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • Combine the melted butter, brown sugar and bananas in a sauce pan.
  • Cook until smooth and then add nuts and raisins.
  • Stir until well coated & set aside to cool.
  • Cream softened butter, sugar and eggs until fluffy.
  • Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.
  • Add this to the creamed mixture gradually until well blended.
  • Add cooled banana mixture.
  • Pour into greased and floured pan(s)*
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 45+ minutes.

*This recipe will make 2 large loaves or 1 cake. If making bread, skip the frosting.

FROSTING (optional)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
juice of 1 small lemon
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

  • In a medium bowl beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.
  • Add lemon juice and vanilla. Beat until blended.
  • Add powdered sugar gradually until well blended and smooth.
  • Refrigerate 1 hour to set icing before serving.

KEY LIME PIE with CARAMEL BLUEBERRY SAUCE

When I was a little girl my great aunt, Looney Louise, (okay we didn’t call her looney to her face, but it is what made her such fun) made a blueberry pudding cake with a tart lemon sauce that was out of this world!  When Ron asked me to review NuNatural’s products Aunt Louise’s recipe was the furthest thing from my mind.  After reviewing all the wonderful products that NuNaturals was gracious enough to send me and perusing the hundreds of recipes they also sent me, I settled on the blueberry cheesecake recipe.  The more I thought of blueberries, the more I thought of Louise and so I made the requisite recipe changes to make it my own and bring me close to the reverse of Looney Louise’s recipe.

Recipe aside, I have to say that every NuNatural’s product I tried is excellent.  I am a total convert!  I was forced years ago to give up any chemically altered sugars so only had full bodied sugar to live on.  NuNatural’s products are not chemically altered, but based on Stevia, a natural plant! 
KEY LIME PIE with CARAMEL BLUEBERRY SAUCE
Crust: 
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs   
6 tablespoons butter   
15 drops NuNatural’s liquid stevia extract

Filling:  
16 ounces cream cheese 
1/3 cup key lime juice  
1 egg   
1 teaspoon NuNatural’s white stevia powder
  • Crush about 12 graham crackers to make 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs. 
  • Combine graham cracker crumbs, stevia extract and 6 tablespoons of melted butter in a medium mixing bowl. 
  • Spread the mixture evenly over the bottom and sides, pressing it to make it firm. 
  • Bake at 350° until golden brown (about 10 minutes). 
  • Allow to cool completely before using. 
  • Using a mixer, mix the ingredients in a bowl until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Don’t overdo it. 
  • Pour the mixture into the sugar-free graham cracker crust, spreading evenly and bake at 350° until lightly browned (about 30 minutes).
Sauce:
2 cups fresh blueberries
5 tablespoons water, divided
Pinch of coarse kosher salt
4 teaspoons NuNatural’s white stevia powder
7 drops NuNatural’s liquid Vanilla stevia 
2 tablespoons Hershey’s caramel sauce
2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • Combine berries, 1 tablespoon water, and coarse salt in medium saucepan. 
  • Stir and mash over medium-low heat until reduced to sauce consistency, about 4 minutes. Set aside. 
  • Combine sugar, 4 tablespoons water, and 2 teaspoons lemon juice in large saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. 
  • Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup is golden amber, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, 9 minutes. Remove from heat. 
  • Stir in blueberry sauce; let stand 5 minutes. 
  • Cool sauce to room temperature. 
  • Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
I was not paid for this review, but did receive free products to try. All opinions are my own.  Their products are all natural, easy to convert and taste great! Original posting November 7, 2011.

BLUEBERRY COBBLER

Remember this recipe for Banana Cobbler?  We loved it.  But what I personally loved was the basic template of the recipe.  So tonight I tried the same base recipe, but traded out bananas for blueberries and you know what? It was awesome.  But what was really awesome was that even though the base was the same, the flavor was unique!

BLUEBERRY COBBLER    Author: 

1 cup self rising flour
¾ cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 stick butter, melted
1 bag frozen blueberries or 2 boxes of fresh

¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 stick butter, softened (next time I’ll use 6 tablespoons)
½ tsp ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon (I added)
½ cup self rising flour
1 cup oatmeal

1/4 cup chopped walnuts (I added)

  • In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and milk until smooth.
  • Add the melted butter.
  • Spread the batter into a greased 11X7 pan.
  • Slice bananas evenly over batter.
  • In another bowl, combine remaining ingredients.
  • Sprinkle over bananas.
  • Bake at 375 ˚ for 40 minutes or until filling bubbles.
  • Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

COCONUT ALMOND PEAR TART

COCONUT ALMOND PEAR TART
Adapted from BAKING FROM MY HOME TO YOURS by Dorie Greenspan

3 medium pears, firm but ripe
1 lemon
4 cups water
1 1/4 cups sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup ground blanched almonds
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 large egg

2 teaspoons coconut rum
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 partially-baked 9-inch tart shell, made with Sweet Tart Dough (see below), at room temperature
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting, or apple jelly for glazing
whipped cream
toasted coconut

  • Make the sweet dough recipe below first!
  • Peel pears, but leave them whole.
  • Bring the 4 cups water, the 1 1/4 cups sugar and the juice of the lemon to a boil in a saucepan just large enough to hold the pears.
  • Add the pears to the boiling syrup, lower the heat so the syrup simmers and gently poach the pears until they are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes.
  • Cool the pears to room temperature in the syrup.
To make the almond cream:
  • Cream the butter and sugar in the food processor until the mixture is smooth and satiny.
  • Add the ground almonds and continue to process until well blended.
  • Add the flour and cornstarch, process, and then add the egg. Process until almond cream is smooth and consistent.
  • Add the rum and vanilla and process just to blend.
  • Place the almond cream in a container and refrigerate it until firm.

  • Center rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Line a jelly roll pan with a silicone mat.
  • Cut the pears in half from blossom to stem and core them; make sure to pat the pears dry – really dry – so that their liquid won’t keep the almond cream from baking.
  • Fill the baked crust with the almond cream, spreading it even with a spatula.
  • Thinly slice each pear half crosswise, lift each half on a spatula, press down on the pear to fan it slightly and place it, wide-end toward the edge of the crust, over the almond cream. The halves will form spokes.
  • Put the crust on the lined baking sheet.
  • Bake the tart 50 to 60 minutes, or until the almond cream puffs up around the pears and browns.
  • Transfer the tart to a rack to cool to just warm or to room temperature before unmolding.
Right before serving, dust the tart with powdered sugar or top with whipped cream sprinkled with toasted coconut.

SWEET TART DOUGH
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (4 1/2 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup sweet flaked toasted coconut

To make the dough:

  • Put the flour, powdered sugar and salt in the food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine.
  • Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is cut in coarsely – you’ll have pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and pea-size pieces and that’s just fine.
  • Beat the egg slightly, and gradually add it, pulsing after each addition.
  • When all of the egg has been added, process in long pulses – about 10 seconds each – until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds.
  • Turn the dough out onto a work surface.
  • Very lightly and sparingly – make that very, very lightly and sparingly – knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing.
  • Butter the tart pan and press the dough evenly along the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
  • Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.

ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Chocolate chip cookies were one of the earliest recipes I began making on my own. There was always the great nut debate between my grandfather and uncle who both believed they didn’t like nuts. I LOVE walnuts in my cookies and brownies and even as a child learned that there are two ways to skin a cat as my dad would say. It turns out that what I liked was the flavor, didn’t really care about the actual nut one way or the other. So, I learned to “fake” out my grandfather and uncle who despite their belief in no nuts had no problem devouring a batch of my cookies! I’ve tweaked this recipe for years to make a larger batch and keep everyone happy.

ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 1/2 cups white sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon maple extract
3 3/4 cups flour
1 cup walnut pieces
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup golden raisins

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Using a stand mixer cream the butter and sugar together.
  • Add molasses and blend until smooth.
  • Add eggs one at a time until well blended.
  • Add vanilla and maple extracts and blend until smooth.
  • Sift together the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder.
  • In a small food processor, chop nut pieces until a fine flour.
  • Gradually add the nuts and flour mixture until well blended.
  • Gently fold in milk chocolate chips and raisins.
  • Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an un-greased cookie sheet.
  • Bake 10-12 minutes
  • Enjoy