Category Archives: DESSERT RECIPES

CHOCOLATE AND HAZELNUT FILLED PASTRY COOKIES

Once in awhile I am forced to eat lunch by myself. It doesn’t happen very often because usually Mr. C is around and we eat together. But when he is out, I usually turn on the TV and watch the food network while I slam down my lunch. And that is just how I discovered this wonderful pastry recipe. I was watching an episode of 10 Dollar Dinners with Melissa D’Arabian. That day she was preparing Petite Nutella Pouchettes. They looked divine, so I decided to bake some and take them to rehearsal that evening. (Well I did change the pastry recipe a little, because I didn’t think Melissa’s recipe looked sweet enough, but that’s what I do, remember?)

Long story short, the cookies were a success. The dough was just sweet enough, and combined with the Nutella, well suffice it to say, these little babies should be standard fare in heaven!

So next time you want to serve a light and elegant little dessert pastry, these are the perfect choice. And to take these cookies totally over the top, Dan, a fellow BlueStreeter suggested that they be topped with a little dab of jam. Yum. Then I thought, how about a drizzle of raspberry puree? The list could go on and on. But however you decide to serve these cookies, I am sure your family and friends will not be disappointed. How could anyone be disappointed when butter, cream cheese, and Nutella are in a recipe? I mean really!!

1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
8-oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ c. powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
¼ tsp. salt
2 c. flour
Nutella (chocolate-hazelnut spread)
water

Cream the butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, ¼ cup powdered sugar, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, spoon in the flour and mix until just combined. Place the dough on a well-floured surface (I use a pastry cloth) and roll it into a round, flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

On the same floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8-inch. (Make sure there is flour on your rolling pin too while you are rolling out the dough.) Using a 3-inch fluted biscuit cutter, cut out as many circles as you can. Place the rounds on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Form the scraps into a ball, roll out and cut more circles. Place about a half teaspoon of Nutella in the middle of each pastry round.

The easiest way I have found to shape these little darlings is to pick up a pastry, place it on the palm of your right hand, (Nutella side up, of course) and wet the perimeter of the circle with water using the index finger on your left hand. Then using gravity as a helper, fold the circle in half with the Nutella towards the bottom and the curve of the semi circle pointing towards heaven. (Do not try to spread the Nutella.) Press edges together gently. Place back on the parchment paper and bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven until golden, about 15 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Place about ½ cup powdered sugar in a fine mesh strainer. Gently shake the strainer back and forth over the cooled pastries until they look like they have been gently kissed by snow. Store in an airtight container.

KAHLÚA BUNDT CAKE

In my opinion there are only two types of people in this world; those who love chocolate and those who don’t. I base this statement on the fact that about 99.8% of my acquaintances would never think to utter the phrase “can take chocolate or leave it”! My friends either really love chocolate, or don’t like it at all. No middle ground or ambiguity whatsoever. In fact, some of my friends take their love of chocolate so seriously that they don’t even consider eating a sweet unless it contains chocolate. (Yes Christine, I am referring to you!)

But within the group that love chocolate (most people I know), there are the people who love dark chocolate and the darker the better. Then there are those, like myself, who prefer milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate lovingly surrounded by other ingredients. (Think chocolate chip cookies or mint chip ice cream.)

But one of the recipes I make, that every chocolate lover I know can agree upon, is this Kahlúa Cake. It has the richness associated with dark chocolate without the bitterness. (At least my taste buds associate dark chocolate with bitterness.) And the best part, this is one of the easiest cakes you will ever bake. Just a few ingredients and no frosting, whipped cream, ice cream or even a sprinkling of powdered sugar required. In fact, any of these toppings/additions detract from the flavor of the cake rather than act as an enhancement.

So next time your sweet tooth (the one dipped in chocolate) acts up, give it what it wants. I guarantee that with just one small piece of this cake, your brain will release so many lovely little endorphins that you will feel as happy as someone who has simultaneously lost 10 pounds and won the lottery! And what could be better than that?

1 chocolate cake mix (non pudding added variety)
1 small pkg. (3.9-oz.) instant chocolate pudding
1 pt. (2 cups) sour cream
¾ c. vegetable oil
4 eggs, room temperature
1/3 c. Kahlúa
6 oz. mini chocolate chips (use regular if you don’t have mini chips on hand)

Beat cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, oil, eggs, and Kahlúa together for about 5 minutes. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into a well greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Don’t over bake. Let sit for about 10 minutes then turn cake out onto a cooling rack or directly onto a cake plate. Allow cake to cool before serving.

EGGNOG BUNDT CAKE

And yes I know Christmas has come and gone, but I am still going to post some recipes that I prepared this year for Christmas and/or New Year’s Eve that I thought were worthy of your discerning taste buds. And this cake is one of them.

This recipe came to me via my daughter Paula. It was called Eggnog Bread. But I thought it would work better as a cake, so hence the name change. But whatever you choose to call this delicious baked good, you are sure to be pleased. It is moist and very delicious and just perfect for the holidays. As you can see in my yet another not-so-perfect picture, I dressed the cake up with a little bit of holly from our yard. (Twas for the holidays, after all!) And I know, food photography is never going to win me any awards. All my food pictures look like they were taken by a maladjusted monkey. Just think of viewing my efforts at photography as the price you have to pay to sign on to my site. (At least you don’t have to work your way through advertisements for acid reflux or hemorrhoid preparations to get to my recipes.)

On that happy note, Happy New Year everyone!

1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
2 eggs, room temperature
1 ½ c. eggnog
¼ c. melted butter, cooled to room temperature
2 T. spiced rum
¾ c. powdered sugar
milk

Place the cake mix, nutmeg, eggs, eggnog, butter, and spiced rum in a mixing bowl and beat for about 4 minutes. Pour into a Bundt pan that has been lightly buttered and floured. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the top comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and gently remove to a cake plate or cooling rack. When completely cool, drizzle with frosting. To make the frosting, whisk together the powdered sugar and enough milk to bring the drizzle to desired consistency. (It should pour, but not be so runny that it completely oozes off the cake.) Let drizzle/frosting harden before serving the cake.

NANTUCKET CRANBERRY CAKE

I love cranberries and am always thinking of new ways to feature them especially during the holidays. I make Brandied Cranberries, Cosmopolitans, Waldorf Salad, Cheddar and Port Wine Cheese Ball (to name a few that are on this site). This year I decided I wanted to serve a dessert for Christmas Eve that contained these lovely ruby red gems.

Coincidentally, a couple of months ago, my dear friend Angela loaned me a book she thought I would enjoy by Laurie Colwin entitled “More Home Cooking”. Enjoy?!?! It’s like reading a book written by my sister by another mother! She thinks the way I do. (Scary in and of itself!) However, even though we think alike, she is a true gourmet. I am merely a cheeseburger loving pagan compared with her tastes and culinary abilities. Never-the-less, her book is like listening to me talk and most of her recipes look and sound like they would be fabulous. And there in black and white was a recipe for a Nantucket Cranberry Pie. (It calls itself a pie, but in truth it is a cake!) And the recipe looked super easy to make! So I went on-line and researched other recipes for this simple dessert. Low and behold almost all the recipes were very similar. I tweaked Laurie’s recipe a bit and came up with my own version.

I am here to tell you, this is one of the best desserts I have ever had the pleasure to serve my guests. And it is beautiful, so it is perfect to serve over the holidays. It looks festive and tastes like you have slaved in the kitchen for hours. (I like that combination.) But the reality is that you don’t even have to use an electric mixer, just a whisk. And in about 5 minutes the batter is ready to pour over the fresh cranberries and nuts. Yum! And of course, you know me. While I’m at it, let’s further guild the lily and add a dollop of freshly made whipped cream! After all, it’s the holidays and even those of us who don’t enjoy sweets that much go to bed dreaming about tomorrow morning’s cinnamon roll. So, what’s an extra dollop or two of whipped cream among friends during the holidays? Speaking of reasons to celebrate – Happy New Year everyone and thanks again for reading my blog.

2 c. halved fresh cranberries
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1 1/2 c. sugar, divided
2 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 c. (12 tablespoons) butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 tsp. salt (or 1/4 tsp. if using salted butter)
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
coarse white sparkling sugar, opt.
freshly whipped heavy cream, opt.

Generously butter a 10″ pie plate or spring-form pan. Spread the chopped cranberries and nuts in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup sugar. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, remaining 1 cup sugar, melted butter, salt, vanilla, and almond extract. When thoroughly combined stir in the flour just until absorbed into the other ingredients. Do not over-mix. Spread the thick batter over the cranberries and nuts.

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the coarse white sparkling sugar atop the batter. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean of batter or crumbs. Remove the cake from the oven. Serve warm, or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream.

FROSTED PUMPKIN PECAN MUFFINS

Something you should know about me. Unlike most people, I truly don’t like donuts and I don’t much care for muffins either. However, there are a few exceptions. (Aren’t there always?) I absolutely adore maple bars (really just a donut in rectangular form with maple icing) and have learned to really like a few kinds of muffins. Like this muffin for example. It has substance and flavor. It has a lovely dense yet moist consistency. In other words, it has something to offer besides airiness and idle calories. Any muffin I find myself drawn to usually contains bran or dried fruit or has some other redeeming ingredient that sets it apart from the average offering in any coffee shop display case. And truly I don’t understand why I love most cakes and dislike most muffins. They are very similar when it comes right down to the ingredients list. But I guess there is just no explaining an individual’s taste in food. And in that regard I am no different than anyone else. (Just proves what I have always said – “humans are nothing if not inconsistent!”)

So just in case there are any readers who share my eccentricity about muffins, I’m going to post a few really outstanding muffin recipes I have learned to make over the years. I’m not going to post them in any kind of sequence or series. Even though I have learned to really like them, they will simply never hit my every day or even every week “must have, absolutely crave” list. None-the-less, they are very good and in some cases, fairly nutritious too. And muffins are easy to make, keep very well, and most normal people think are just a delightful treat. And at this busy time of year, almost indispensible as a tasty sweet to serve friends and neighbors who drop by with holiday greetings.

Because I have been so frank about my general dislike of muffins, I feel compelled to say I’m sorry to any muffin lovers out there if I have in any way offended you. Also, if your meaning of life comes from jelly donuts, I offer my heartfelt apologies for casting aspersions on something so near and dear to your heart. In fact, I’m feeling so contrite I’d be willing to make it up to you. Let’s meet for a maple bar!

Muffin Ingredients:

2 c. whole wheat flour
1½ c. all purpose flour
¾ c. granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 teaspoon each cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg
½ tsp. salt
½ c. chopped toasted pecans
1 (15-oz.) can pure pumpkin (or 2 cups puree)
½ c. olive oil
¼ c. real maple syrup
3 T. milk
3 eggs, room temperature

Frosting Ingredients:

2 T. butter
1¼ c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 T. maple syrup
1-2 tsp. water

Muffins: Combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, sugar, and nuts in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, oil, maple syrup, milk, and eggs. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in the large mixing bowl and stir only until combined. Do not over-mix.

Lightly grease each muffin cup with cooking spray. Using an ice cream scoop, fill each muffin tin almost to the top with a scoop of batter. (If you don’t have a large ice-cream scoop, just fill using a large spoon.)

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the muffins comes out dry. Remove the muffins from pan and let cool before frosting. (If you have time, bake the muffins ahead and let them take a cold vacation for a few days in your freezer. Baked goods that contain fruit or vegetables are almost always more moist and flavorful after being frozen. However, if you do freeze them, don’t frost them until just before serving.

Frosting: Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup. Add water until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over cooled muffins. Allow the frosting to harden and store in an airtight container.

PIE CRUST

I learned to make this pie crust when I was 21 years old. My neighbor in student housing was the local home economics teacher. (Her husband was a graduate student, that’s why they too could live in student housing.) Anyway, I was so in the very early stages of learning to cook. I had a Betty Crocker cookbook and a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, and I absolutely poured over them every evening.

So one day I was complaining to my friend that I really wanted to learn how to bake pies, but that they looked like they would be way over my head too hard. She said pshaw or words to that effect and dragged me into her kitchen. She gave me a one-on-one lesson on how to make the perfect pie crust and I have never looked back.

Now the last thing I want to do is try and convince you to try this recipe if you already have a great pie crust recipe. Good pie crust is tricky business. I swear 2 people making the same recipe can come up with dramatically different results. My pie crust recipe might turn out like cardboard for you and drive you to start drinking. And vice versa, I might try your recipe, find that it does not work for me at all, and end up giving up drinking! I just can’t take that chance.

But, if by some slim chance you don’t have a good pie crust recipe, I would like to offer up this proven winner. The ingredients are much the same as any other pie crust. It’s the way they are assembled that makes this recipe so different. My dear mentor, and for the life of me I can’t remember her name, explained that what makes pie crust tough is adding the water straight in with the shortening. She said that adding a little of the flour to the water first, prevented that problem. And I have to tell you, that in the 48 years I have been making pies, (48 years!?!?) I haven’t had to throw out even one pie. I’ve felt like throwing a few in my day, but never because the pie tasted awful!

¼ c. very cold water
2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
heaping 2/3 c. Crisco

Step 1 – Pour cold water into a small bowl. Step 2 – Measure flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Step 3 – Take 1/3 cup of the flour back out of the mixing bowl and stir it into the water. Make a paste. Set aside. Step 4 – Add the Crisco (heaping 2/3 cup) to the flour and salt mixture. Mix together. (I use my KitchenAid mixer.) Step 5 – Add the water/flour paste to the flour/shortening bowl and mix just until blended. Do not over-mix. Roll out dough and place in pie plate. This recipe makes enough dough for a double crust pie, if using a regular sized pie plate, or one large bottom crust with a little left over for pastry cookies or small tart like the one shown below.

Helpful hint: Use a pastry cloth to roll out your pie crust. It really makes a difference. You can find pastry cloths in almost any kitchen wares shop. Well worth the $10 or so.

FRENCH APPLE PIE

This recipe came to me from my mother-in-law Betty. It was her mother’s recipe and now it is the only apple pie recipe served at our extended family holiday get-togethers. Doesn’t matter whether it’s Auntie Evelyn, my daughter Paula or me making the pies, grandma Freund’s apple pie has got to be one of the offerings. And there is a very good reason for that. French apple pie is fabulous. And it’s easy. Working with just one crust is always easier than trying to fit a top crust over the filling, crimping the edges so they look beautiful, and actually getting the whole thing in and out of the oven without incident.

So next time you want to bake an apple pie, give this recipe a try. The crunchy topping reminiscent of crumbled shortbread makes just a lovely contrast to the tender apple slices. I know you and your family and friends will become devoted fans at first bite. I know that’s all it took for me!

½ to 2/3 c. sugar (depends on the tartness of your apples)
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 T. + 1 c. flour
6-8 apples, peeled and thinly sliced
pie crust for 9-inch one crust pie
½ c. butter, room temperature
½ c. packed brown sugar

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons flour. Add apple slices and combine thoroughly. Pour into a pastry lined pie pan. It should look like there are way too many apples. That’s exactly what you want. See picture below.

Cream butter and sugar together; add the remaining 1 cup flour. Crumble over apples. Cover edges of pie crust with 1 ½-inch strips of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning. Remove foil last 5 minutes of baking.

Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 60 minutes or until top is nicely browned and the apples are tender. Serve slightly warm with a side of vanilla ice cream or for an extra special treat, topped with Bourbon Caramel Whipped Cream. (Recipe under This & That)

BONUS RECIPE – PIE CRUST (my secret recipe)

¼ c. very cold water
2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
heaping 2/3 c. Crisco

Step 1 – Pour cold water into a small bowl. Step 2 – Measure flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Step 3 – Take 1/3 cup of the flour back out of the mixing bowl and stir it into the water. Make a paste. Set aside. Step 4 – Add the Crisco (heaping 2/3 cup) to the flour and salt mixture. Mix together. (I use my KitchenAid mixer.) Step 5 – Add the water/flour paste to the flour/shortening bowl and mix just until blended. Do not over-mix. Roll out dough and place in pie plate. This recipe makes enough dough for a double crust pie if using a regular sized pie plate, or one large bottom or top crust with a little left over for pastry cookies* or a small tart like the one shown below.

*To make pie crust cookies, roll out the left over dough, cut into whatever size or shape you like, place on a cookie sheet, and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Bake along with your pie, but not for as long. Check after 20 minutes. The “cookies” should be nicely browned on the bottom when they are done. Note: pastry cookies need not be shared with anyone else. They are meant to be eaten only by the baker!

BOURBON CARAMEL WHIPPED CREAM

There are few things as wonderful as pie with a dollop of whipped cream on top. But when you add a whipped cream that has been enhanced with a bourbon flavored caramel sauce, well howdy, heaven is just a fork full away.

¼ c. butter
½ c. brown sugar
¼ c. + 2 c. heavy whipping cream
2 T. good bourbon
freshly ground nutmeg, opt.

Whisk butter and brown sugar together over medium heat in a small heavy saucepan until brown sugar has dissolved completely. (This happens after the mixture comes to a boil and is allowed to burble for a couple of minutes or until it turns kind of shiny. Continue whisking the whole time the mixture is on the heat.) Remove from heat and gently whisk in the quarter cup heavy cream and bourbon. Allow caramel to come to room temperature and then refrigerate. Beat the remaining 2 cups of whipping cream to stiff peaks. Add the cold caramel sauce and whip just until well blended. (The caramel sauce and whipped cream can be combined up to a few hours before serving.)

Lovely served on bread pudding and pumpkin, pecan, or apple pie with just a sprinkle of fresh nutmeg on top to provide color and a tough of spice, so to speak. Of course, straight out of the bowl is pretty marvelous too! Oh, and Mr. C. loves this on his morning latte.

PUMPKIN PIE BARS WITH BOURBON-CARAMEL WHIPPED CREAM

Because I am lazy and want to spend my time doing something besides working in the kitchen on Thanksgiving (I know that surprises some of you), I devised this recipe for a make ahead and easy to prepare dessert. No pie crust to roll out and best made a day or two ahead. Even the bourbon caramel for the whipped cream can be made several days ahead. (Just don’t tell your family it’s in the refrigerator or there will be none left. I speak from experience.)

Crust:

2 c. flour
1 c. butter, room temperature
½ c. powdered sugar

Mix flour, butter, and powdered sugar together and pat into a 10×15-inch pan. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 16 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven. Meanwhile prepare filling.

Filling:

¾ tsp. salt
¾ c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
¼ rounded tsp. ground ginger
¼ rounded tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
2 eggs, room temperature
12 oz. evaporated milk
1 T. melted butter
2 c. solid pack pumpkin

Whisk together all of the filling ingredients and pour into prepared crust. Return pan to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the filling has just set. Filling is set when you can insert a table knife into the middle of the filling and it comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Bourbon Caramel Whipped Cream:

¼ c. butter
½ c. brown sugar
¼ c. + 2 c. heavy whipping cream
2 T. good bourbon
ground nutmeg, opt.

Whisk butter and brown sugar constantly over medium heat in a small heavy saucepan until brown sugar has dissolved completely. (This happens after the mixture comes to a boil and is allowed to burble for a couple of minutes or until it turns kind of shiny. Continue whisking the whole time the mixture is on the heat.) Remove from heat and gently whisk in the quarter cup heavy cream and bourbon. Allow caramel to come to room temperature and then refrigerate. Beat the remaining 2 cups of whipping cream to stiff peaks. Add the cold caramel sauce and whip just until well blended. (This can be made ahead of time.) To serve Pumpkin Bars, cut to desired size, place on dessert plate and dollop with whipped cream. For an extra special touch, lightly sprinkle with nutmeg.

CHEZ CARR CUISINE

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