I’ve been wanting to develop another dessert sushi recipe for awhile now since I know it’s something people are very interested in (my Fruit-Filled Coconut & Chocolate Dessert Sushi recipe gets more google hits than any other recipe by far on my blog). I finally found the perfect opportunity to do so this weekend when I noticed that Rachel at Coconut & Lime is having a contest to celebrate her five year blogoversary! She has 900 original recipes on her blog, which is quite inspiring. I was happy when I recently realized I had finally posted over 30 recipes and could register for Food Blog Search! Anyway, I decided to come up with a recipe using Rachel’s favorite ingredients, coconut and lime.

One of the first things that came to mind when I started thinking about this flavor combination was cheesecake. So, I made a chocolate dough that substituted for the “seaweed” and piled on a coconut and line cheesecake layer as the “rice” and then filled the roll with fruit. I just used kiwi and mango this time, but I like to use strawberries when we have them around. This recipe is a bit tricky, so definitely use it as a starting point. The amount of fruit I add varies a bit depending on the way it’s cut. I have a couple more dessert sushi ideas floating around my head, so don’t be surprised to see a few additional twists at some point!

Coconut & Lime Cheesecake Dessert Sushi
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
7 tablespoons granulated sugar
Juice of one lime
2 cups shredded coconut, toasted
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 ounces colorful fresh fruit, sliced into long strips
3 ounces milk chocolate, melted

Directions:
Mix cream cheese, 4 tablespoons sugar, and lime juice in a medium bowl until smooth. Stir in coconut.

Meanwhile, melt butter and chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave for 1 minute on high. Stir in remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth; stir in flour and salt until a soft dough forms.

Roll chocolate dough into a 13-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 13×6-inch rectangle. Remove top sheet of waxed paper.

Spread coconut and lime cheesecake mixture on top of chocolate dough rectangle in a 13×5.5-inch rectangle, leaving a 1/4-inch border on both long sides of the rectangle. Line up sliced fruit down the middle of the sushi roll and roll up dough into a cylinder like a “sushi roll” by lifting up waxed paper and sealing the ends of the dough together. Roll the roll on the counter and press together firmly. Remove waxed paper from the roll and carefully cut into 16 dessert sushi pieces with a sharp knife.

Place melted milk chocolate into small soy sauce containers. Serve dessert sushi with melted milk chocolate and eat with chopsticks! Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 317 calories, 19.2g fat, 1.9g fiber, 3.8g protein per serving
Cost: $3.42 total

I fell in love with cardamom a few years ago when I started drinking chai and have found it’s also lovely in baked goods. While perusing the fridge this weekend for something to satisfy my sweet tooth, I noticed the low-sugar orange marmalade my hubby enjoys and was inspired to make cookies flavored with orange and cardamom!

I’m a huge fan of bar cookies since they come together so quickly and decided to spice a simple sugar cookie dough with orange zest and cardamom. The bars made our place smell so good as they were baking. After they cooled I spread melted orange marmalade on top and then topped that layer with a chocolate ganache. They’re quite tasty and the cardamom really comes through. It you haven’t baked with cardamom before, I’d suggest starting with 1/2 teaspoon for the batch and then adding more if you end up liking it as much as I do! I’m desperately trying to distract myself right now, so I won’t end up eating another one!

Orange Cardamom Chocolate Bars
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
1/2 cup orange marmalade, melted
3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:
Heat oven to 350˚F. Grease an 8×8-inch square pan. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Mix in egg and vanilla; stir in flour, salt, baking powder, cardamom, and orange zest until soft dough forms. Spread dough in bottom of a greased pan. Bake 20 to 23 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Spread melted marmalade evenly over cooled bars. Refrigerate about 15 minutes or until marmalade is set.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and heavy whipping cream uncovered on high 1 minute, stirring once after 30 seconds, until melted. Spread evenly over marmalade layer. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until chocolate ganache is set. Cut into 4 rows by 4 rows. Makes 16 bars.

Nutrition: 214 calories, 10.1g fat, 0.9g fiber, 2.1g protein per serving
Cost: $3.75 total

I recently read about Sugar High Fridays on Heather’s blog Diary of a Fanatic Foodie. It’s a fun monthly event dreamed up by Jennifer at The Domestic Goddess, where bloggers post an original dessert recipe. When I read Heather’s theme this month was desserts inspired by your favorite travel destinations, I immediately knew I wanted to create a recipe with caramelized plantains. Plantains are used in savory and sweet dishes in the Caribbean and are especially yummy when they are fried and coated with cinnamon and sugar. They are 100x better than caramelized bananas!

I decided to caramelize the plantains in the oven instead of frying them, and then layer them between Nutella and whole wheat tortillas. I brushed the quesadillas with butter and cinnamon and sauted them on both sides, until they turned golden brown and the cinnamon was baked into the tortillas, and then topped them with some chopped strawberry “salsa.” Each bite took me back to the beaches and flavors of the Caribbean! I really enjoyed coming up with this recipe and look forward to future Sugar High Fridays!

Caramelized Plantain Dessert Quesadillas with Nutella
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 black-brown plantains, sliced into 3/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup Nutella
2 whole wheat tortillas
3 strawberries, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Mix 1 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and brown sugar in a small dish. Mix butter and sugar mixture with sliced plantains in an 8-inch square baking dish. Bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes or until plantains are caramelized.

Spread Nutella evenly over tortillas. Top Nutella on one tortilla with caramelized plantains (you will probably have a few extra pieces to enjoy on their own!) and then place the remaining tortilla on top, Nutella side down.

Mix remaining 1 tablespoon butter and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a small dish. Use a pastry brush to evenly coat one side of the quesadilla. Place the quesadilla, buttered side down, in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, brush remaining butter on the other side of the quesadilla. Flip over and sauté the other side as well. Cool slightly and cut into wedges. Serve with strawberry “salsa,” if desired. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 230 calories, 10.0g fat, 3.6g fiber, 3.8g protein per serving
Cost: $1.88 total

When my hubby and I got married, we had a sushi feast at our rehearsal dinner. To keep with the theme (like all good brides strive to do…), I wanted to serve dessert sushi. I searched the internet to see if there was something I could make and called bakeries, but couldn’t find anything that looked delicious. I think we ended up serving cheesecake. A few years later, I dreamed up these whimsical dessert sushi rolls that I love to serve with chopsticks and melted chocolate “soy sauce”.

I struggled a bit writing up this recipe, because the amount of fruit I use each time really varies depending on how it’s cut. So, take this recipe as a starting point and make it your own. You can vary the kinds and amount of fruit, add a little toasted coconut to the rice, etc. Have fun with it!

Fruit-Filled Coconut & Chocolate Dessert Sushi
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup jasmine rice
11 ounces light coconut milk
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 ounces quartered strawberries
3/4 ounces kiwi sliced into long rectangular strips
3/4 ounces mango sliced into long rectangular strips
3 ounces milk chocolate, melted

Directions:
Combine rice, coconut milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, stirring regularly, until the mixture boils. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender and sticky. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, mix butter and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl until creamed. Add milk, vanilla, and melted semi-sweet chocolate and mix until smooth; stir in flour and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Roll chocolate dough into a 13-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 13×6-inch rectangle. Remove top sheet of waxed paper.

Spread room temperature coconut rice on top of chocolate dough rectangle in a 13×5.5-inch rectangle, leaving a 1/4-inch border on both long sides of the rectangle. Line up quartered strawberries horizontally down the center of the coconut rectangle. Line up sliced kiwi and mango above and below the line of strawberries, respectively. Roll up dough into a cylinder like a “sushi roll” by lifting up waxed paper and sealing the ends of the dough together. Roll the roll on the counter and press together firmly. Remove waxed paper from the roll and cut into 16 dessert sushi pieces with a sharp knife.

Place melted milk chocolate into small soy sauce containers. Serve dessert sushi with chocolate “soy sauce”  and eat with chopsticks! Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 209 calories, 10.6g fat, 1.3g fiber, 2.7g protein per serving
Cost: $2.92 total