Desserts | Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Category Archives: Desserts

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Pie

October 1, 2009

I can’t believe almost a week has gone by since my last post! I just got back from an extended weekend trip to NYC with my mom and we were enjoying the city so much that I didn’t quite get around to posting this recipe while we were there. We’ve been meaning to take this trip for a few years now and had an amazing time. I can’t wait to go through my pictures and post a little recap of all the foodie spots we visited!

I’ve been dreaming about cookie dough a lot lately and I think the only thing better than eating cookie dough straight out of the bowl is enjoying it in a dessert! This is a really easy no bake recipe that comes together in no time, but is just incredible with the perfect ratio of cookie dough to ice cream. This is one of my go to dessert recipes when we have people over because it’s a huge crowd pleaser. I love the pie with mint chocolate chip ice cream (which I’m sort of sad is now always natural and no longer the bright green color I enjoyed during my childhood!), but feel free to substitute your favorite ice cream flavor.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Pie
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 6-ounce Oreo pie crust
3 cups mint chocolate chip ice cream, softened
1/2 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed

Directions:
To prepare the edible egg-free cookie dough, mix butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl until creamy; add milk and vanilla and mix until well blended. Gradually mix in flour and salt; stir in mini chocolate chips.

Spread edible chocolate chip cookie dough evenly in the bottom of the Oreo crust. Place heaping spoonfuls of ice cream on top of cookie dough. Lightly press and smooth top with back of spoon. Freeze pie 2 hours or until firm.

To serve, set pie out at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften and cut into 8 wedges. Garnish each piece with warmed hot fudge ice cream topping. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 376 calories, 13.7g fat, 2.1g fiber, 4.3g protein per serving
Cost: $0.69 per serving

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Mini Sweet Potato Cheesecakes

September 16, 2009

My loaded sweet potato skins were featured on the Glamour Magazine Health and Fitness blog yesterday, how cool is that? Ever since I started my blog, I feel like I always have something to look forward to in my inbox, whether it’s an email update about a comment, a question from a reader, or a cool opportunity like this one! So thank you for making food blogging so much fun!

So, I promised to tell you what I did with the extra sweet potato flesh I had after making the sweet potato skins. I knew I wanted to make a dessert. My first thought was to make a sweet potato cheesecake since I had some leftover cream cheese in the fridge, and I really wanted to do little mini layered cheesecakes, because they are just so cute! So, I mixed ginger snap crumbs with the mashed sweet potatoes and topped them with a creamy cheesecake layer mixed with pumpkin pie spice and crunchy pecans. I baked them in muffin cups, since I still haven’t gotten my hands on real mini cheesecake pan. They turned out really well, but I need to stop talking about that pan and just order it!

Mini Sweet Potato Cheesecakes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup crushed gingersnap cookies
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Mix mashed sweet potatoes, crushed gingersnap cookies, and salt in a large bowl until smooth. Line two muffin pans with cupcake wrappers and evenly spoon sweet potato mixture into 16 cups. Bake at 350˚F for 25 to 30 minutes or until set. Push down sweet potato layer with a spoon and cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix cream cheese, egg, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl until smooth. Evenly spoon cream cheese mixture over the cooled sweet potato layer and top with chopped pecans. Bake at 350˚F for 28 to 32 minutes or until cheesecake layer is set. Cool at room temperature for 30 minutes and then cool in the fridge for an hour, or until chilled. Carefully remove cupcake wrappers from each mini cheesecake. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 256 calories, 16.7g fat, 2.7g fiber, 4.6g protein per serving
Cost: $0.54 per serving

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Cannoli Chips

September 4, 2009

Thanks so much to everyone for the bday wishes! We’re continuing the celebration this weekend by going out for dinner and on a little shopping spree! There’s something about the seasons changing that makes me want to buy a whole new wardrobe.

It feels like summer is almost over, but a few weeks ago during the hottest weekend of the year, my baby brother drove up to visit us after a business trip in NYC! It was his first time in Boston, so we went on a Duck Boat tour and checked out parts of the Freedom Trail, harbor, and Harvard Square. Two of the highlights were visiting the Harpoon Brewery (where they let you sample as many kinds of beer that you’d like on tap for free!) and indulging in a delicious Italian feast in the North End. After dinner we decided to have a throwdown and bought cannolis from both Mike’s Pastry and Modern Pastry, which have a bit of a rivalry. The ricotta filling is sweeter at Modern and the shells are more crispy because they fill them as you order them. But, the cannolis at Mike’s are double the size for the same price and are covered in more chocolate, which is always a good thing! In the end, I voted for Modern, Richard voted for Mike’s, and Apolinaras couldn’t pick a favorite, so it was a tie. The moral of the story is that you really can’t go wrong with either choice!

I was inspired by our cannoli battle to make these cute little cannoli chips! I decided to use pita chips as the base since they’re so crispy, and then topped them with sweetened ricotta cheese and mini chocolate chips. Not quite as good as the real thing, of course, but a very satisfying treat that comes together quickly and is perfect for using up that last bit of ricotta at the bottom of the tub! I suggest making the entire batch of ricotta at once and then topping just the chips you’re going to eat that day so they don’t get soggy.

Cannoli Chips
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
24 pita chips
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:
Mix ricotta cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until smooth. Spread 1 tablespoon of ricotta mixture onto each pita chip and sprinkle mini chocolate chips evenly on top. Makes 24 cannoli chips (4 servings).

Nutrition: 309 calories, 14.3g fat, 1.1g fiber, 13.5g protein per serving
Cost: $0.73 per serving

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Pineapple Ice Cream Sundaes

September 1, 2009

It’s my birthday tomorrow and I’m turning the big 3-0! I’m not exactly sure how this happened so quickly, but I’m excited for the future and by the fact that Apolinaras promised to bring home my favorite carrot cake cupcakes from Petsi’s Pies!

Speaking of birthdays, I realized that I never posted the dessert I made for Apolinaras’ birthday last month. He actually doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, and I usually make this cake by Paula Deen for him that features pineapple and coconut, but this year he said he didn’t even want a cake since he was still in cutting mode for his bodybuilding. I couldn’t take no for an answer though and decided to whip up something healthy that he would still enjoy. I combined fresh pineapple with low-fat cottage cheese, lime juice, and sugar, ran it through my ice cream machine and then made mini sundaes layered with toasted coconut and fresh strawberries. You can definitely taste the cottage cheese, which Apolinaras really enjoyed, but I have to admit I prefer the real deal. But, it’s a nice light treat for those days that you’re craving something sweet but don’t want to undo the progress you made in the gym!

Pineapple Ice Cream Sundaes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
4 cups chopped fresh pineapple (one pineapple, my 4 cups were 25 ounces)
2 cups low fat cottage cheese
Juice of one lime
3/4 cup sugar (or to taste)
1/2 cup toasted shredded coconut
2 cups chopped strawberries

Directions:
Place pineapple, cottage cheese, lime juice, and sugar in a food processor and pulse until sugar is dissolved and mixture is smooth. Place mixture in the fridge and chill until cold, about 2 hours. Place mixture in the ice cream maker and churn according to the machine directions. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving. Layer pineapple ice cream with toasted coconut and strawberries to make mini sundaes. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 192 calories, 2.2g fat, 2.3g fiber, 8.5g protein per serving
Cost: $0.92 per serving

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Honey Sesame Cashew Brittle

August 7, 2009

I think I inherited my love of peanut brittle from my grandpa. My brother and I always gave him a few boxes of brittle for Christmas when we were growing up and I can’t see peanut brittle and not think of him! Whenever I’m in a gourmet candy shop I may peruse the bonbons, but I inevitably end up skipping over the chocolate and buying a box of homemade peanut brittle. I just love the stuff.

This was actually my first time making brittle, because I only recently got a candy thermometer. It was one of the many kitchen items (along with confetti mixing bowls made from recycled plastic, a cupcake decorating set, new measuring cups and spoons, and tons of Tone’s spices which are packaged in Iowa and SO cheap there) that made it into my suitcase on my way home from Des Moines last month. I had to borrow a backpack from my parents and check my original bag since I didn’t have enough room in it for all my new purchases (cute new shoes may or may not have also been involved…). Sigh, I have no self control!

I decided to do a twist on my mom’s traditional brittle and used cashews instead of peanuts. I also added a touch of honey and topped the brittle with sesame seeds. This flavor combo was inspired by the yummy sesame and honey covered cashews I like to munch on at work from Trader Joe’s. I used too much honey in the first batch, which overpowered the candy and caused it to be too sticky, but this second batch turned out perfectly. Yay for finally being able to make brittle whevever I crave it!

Honey Sesame Cashew Brittle
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup water
1 cup salted cashews
2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Directions:
Stir together sugar, honey, and water in a small saucepan with a candy thermometer. Bring mixture to a boil and continue to boil the mixture until it reaches 250°F. Then pour in cashews and continue to boil until mixture reaches 300°F. Quickly pour mixture onto buttered parchment paper lining a 8×8-inch square pan. Sprinkle sesame seeds evenly over the top. Cool for 1 hour or until at room temperature. Break candy into irregular shaped pieces and store in a cool place in air-tight containers. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 197 calories, 6.9g fat, 0.1g fiber, 2.1g protein per serving
Cost: $2.55 total

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Chicago Cubs Dessert Sushi

August 3, 2009

I know, I know, you’re thinking – another dessert sushi post? But, this is a special version because it was inspired by the lovely Molly Jean, who writes one of my favorite blogs, The Rookie Chef. I got to meet Molly when I visited my parents in Des Moines over the fourth of July and we had a great time chatting at Gateway Market. Back when I posted my recipe for Green Monster Cookies, which was inspired by the Red Sox, Molly asked if I could come up with a dessert that celebrated the Chicago Cubs. I was excited about this concept, since I used to live in Chicago, but had no creative ideas until Molly mentioned how much she liked my dessert sushi (versions one and two), and then a light bulb went off – duh, I should make dessert sushi with the red C logo of the Chicago Cubs on the inside!

I decided to make the rolls entirely out of eggless sugar cookie dough because I love eating it so much! I colored part of the dough blue for the outside “seaweed” portion and part of it red for the Cub’s C logo for the middle of the roll. Then I added shredded coconut to the uncolored dough for the “rice” portion. I had so much fun working on this project and was delighted when the rolls came out on my first try! The end pieces didn’t turn out as well as the ones pictured, so I used the extra cookie dough from the unsightly pieces to fix the others where needed. I actually had trouble eating these little guys at first because they were so cute, but they were so rich and delicious that none went to waste. Go Cubs!

Chicago Cubs Dessert Sushi
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Blue and red food coloring
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed, if desired

Directions:
Mix butter and sugar in a large bowl until creamy. Add milk and vanilla and mix until smooth; stir in flour and salt.

Mix 1/3 cup (3.5 ounces) of sugar cookie dough with blue food coloring in a small bowl. Mix 1/3 cup (3.5 ounces) of sugar cookie dough with red food coloring in another small bowl. Mix remaining uncolored dough with coconut.

Roll blue sugar cookie dough into an 10-inch log and place down the middle of a large sheet of waxed paper. Place another piece of waxed paper on top of the log and use a rolling pin to roll the log into a 10×5-inch rectangle. Remove top sheet of waxed paper.

Set aside 1/4 cup (3 ounces) of the uncolored coconut dough. Roll remaining coconut sugar cookie dough into a 10×4.5-inch rectangle as described above. Center coconut sugar cookie dough rectangle on top of blue sugar cookie dough rectangle.

Roll red sugar cookie dough into a 10×3-inch rectangle in the same manner. Center red sugar cookie dough rectangle on top of uncolored coconut cookie dough rectangle.

Roll remaining 1/4 cup uncolored coconut dough into a 10-inch log and center it on top of the red dough rectangle.

Roll up dough into a cylinder like a “sushi roll” by lifting up waxed paper and sealing the ends of the blue dough together. Leaving waxed paper on, freeze roll for 30 minutes or until solid (the freezing step simply makes it easier to cut the roll into pieces).

Remove waxed paper from solid roll and cut into 14 equal cookie dough sushi pieces. Warm hot fudge ice cream topping according to directions on the package and place into small soy sauce containers. Serve cookie dough sushi with hot fudge dipping sauce and eat with chopsticks, if desired. Makes 7 servings.

Nutrition: 310 calories, 15.2g fat, 1.9g fiber, 3.6g protein per serving
Cost: $2.71 total

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Pomegranate Blueberry Crumble

July 23, 2009

My favorite part of Trader Joe’s is the cereal aisle. They have so many unique choices! I normally have one of the high fiber/protein super nutritious ones for breakfast, but always enjoy a cup of the less healthy ones for dessert after dinner. They have one with chocolate one that is really delicious and I recently devoured a box featuring pomegranate and blueberries together. It was so good that I immediately knew I wanted to create a real dessert with this flavor combo.

I originally attempted this crumble a couple weeks ago when Reeni hosted BSI with the Blogger Secret Ingredient of blueberries. But, it turned out to be a disaster! I reduced some pomegranate juice down to a syrup and then threw it on a bunch of frozen blueberries. The syrup solidified on just the blueberries it hit and the whole thing turned out to be a huge watery mess after it baked. But, the dessert was much more successful after I tweaked a few things this weekend. I simply simmered the blueberries in the pomegranate juice until the mixture reduced and then thickened the mixture with a bit of cornstarch. The tang of the pomegranate juice really complimented the blueberries! The key to the crumble topping is the almond meal (from Trader Joe’s of course!). Please do not substitute anything else because it adds another layer of flavor and seriously elevates the topping from good to super addicting!

Pomegranate Blueberry Crumble
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
8 cups blueberries (I used half fresh and half frozen)
2 cups pomegranate juice
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cold water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Stir together blueberries, pomegranate juice, and granulated sugar in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until liquid reduces by half. Mix cold water and cornstarch together in a small bowl and add the mixture to the blueberries. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens to desired consistency, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the crumble topping by mixing the brown sugar, almond meal, flour, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Stir together butter and vanilla and mix with flour mixture.

Pour the thickened blueberry mixture into an 8-inch square pan and top evenly with the crumble mixture. Bake at 350˚F for 15 to 20 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 369 calories, 10.1g fat, 5.0g fiber, 3.9g protein per serving
Cost: $0.94 per serving

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Pistachio Mint Chocolate Chip Bar Cookies

June 23, 2009

Does anyone else hoard baking chips? My drawer is currently overflowing with regular chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, mini chocolate chips, mini M&Ms, regular M&Ms, Heath toffee chips, and Andes Crème de Menthe chips. And I recently used all my peanut butter chips! I don’t know what it is about the baking aisle. I feel the need to constantly replenish my chip stocks with different kinds even if I have no plans to use them in the near future. I guess I like keeping my options open!

This was actually my first time using Andes Crème de Menthe chips, and I really liked them. They taste just like Andes mints, which have been a favorite of mine since childhood. I would be happy just eating the remaining half of the bag straight on their own! I decided to pair the chips with pistachios that I ground up in the food processor. I like adding ground nuts instead of a bit of flour in cookies because it adds so much flavor. And, of course I made bar cookies because I’m too lazy to make individual cookies! I’m sure I’ll end up buying more chips the next time I’m at the store, too bad I still can’t find cinnamon chips!

Pistachio Mint Chocolate Chip Bar Cookies
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pistachios
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup Andes Crème de Menthe baking chips

Directions:
Heat oven to 350˚F. Lightly grease an 8×8-inch square pan. In large bowl, cream butter and sugar; mix in egg and vanilla.

Pulse pistachios in a food processor until ground. Stir in ground pistachios, flour, salt, and baking powder until soft dough forms. Stir in mint chocolate chips. Spread dough in bottom of the greased pan. Bake at 350˚F for 20 to 23 minutes or until set. Cool for 30 minutes and cut into 4 rows by 4 rows. Makes 16 servings.

Nutrition: 226 calories, 14.1g fat, 1.1g fiber, 3.3g protein per serving
Cost: $4.73 total

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