Sweet Treats

Recipe—Individual Pumpkin Pie Mousse Cups

November 20, 2020 Diva di Cucina

Pumpkin Pie Mousse Cups

As soon as the summer heat starts to die down and mornings become cooler, my body literally craves pumpkin spice. Yes, I am a pumpkin spice loving, leggings, Ugg, scarf, and sweater wearing, momma. I can’t help it! There is just something about indulging in all things pumpkin that allows me to fully transition into fall.

While I absolutely love a homemade pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, I don’t always have the time, energy, or space in my oven, to make anything besides the turkey and all the fixings. I absolutely love this dessert because it is quick, easy, and no bake! You get all the flavors of pumpkin pie with the pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice but it is a creamy, light, and fluffy mousse! Plus, you can make it a day or two in advance so you have one less thing to deal with on the big T-Day.

If you are making dessert and then going somewhere one of the most cumbersome tasks is transporting a pie. It slides everywhere and I hate covering pies with foil because it never fails, when you go to uncover it, your crust becomes a crumbly mess and never looks as good as when it came out of the oven. These are great because you can assemble them in mason jars, leave a little air space at the top, and just screw on the lid. Easiest dessert for traveling ever! If you are making these to be served in your home, they look super cute in wine glasses too.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 c graham crackers
4 tbsp butter, melted
3/4 c granulated sugar, divided
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c powdered sugar
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 c pumpkin puree
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

STEPS

Prepare the crust by stirring together the graham crackers, melted butter, and 1/4 c of the granulated sugar in a small mixing bowl until well combined.
Set aside 1/4 cup of the graham cracker crumb mixture to serve as your garnish.
Distribute the remaining graham cracker crumbs evenly among 6–8 individual serving dishes.
Using the back of a spoon, gently press the graham crackers down into the bottom of the dishes.
Combine the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat until the whip cream thickens up.
In another mixing bowl blend together the cream cheese, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated until well-integrated.
Fold in 1 cup of the whip cream into the pumpkin mixture.
Evenly distribute the pumpkin mousse into each of the dishes.
Garnish each cup with the remaining whip cream and top with the graham crackers crumbs you previously set aside.

Sweet Treats

Recipe—Peach Mousse

August 25, 2020August 25, 2020 Diva di Cucina

Peach Mousse
A couple of weeks ago, I did my first ever live cooking demo on Instagram. I shared my recipes for a delicious Italian Chicken Dinner and easy Cannoli Dip. This cooking demo was part of a summer event series hosted by Sac State UNIQUE Programs. They typically host local bands for their Nooners (noon-time events), so I was really excited to share a couple of recipes! UNIQUE Programs also had Carly Preston of Adventures In Yum do a live cooking demo at the beginning of July. Carly and I thought it would be fun to partner up as guest bloggers for a little recipe swap since we both have so many amazing recipes to share with our followers. She has been posting recipes since summer of 2019 and she has a lot of great posts on her site, especially desserts! Seriously, she is the dessert queen! Make sure you go check out Adventures In Yum!

Today she is sharing with you all her recipe for Peach Mousse. Look at how beautiful and fluffy it looks! And you know I am all about using seasonal produce and since it is stone fruit season this seems perfect! Just add a refreshing drink like my Summertime White Sangria and enjoy the refreshing flavors of summer.

I present to you, a recipe for Peach Mousse from Adventures In Yum!

Peach Mousse

Happy Stone Fruit Season! With peaches, nectarines, and plums being plentiful during this time of year, I love to create at least a couple of fun desserts every year with these flavorful summer fruits.

Peaches are one of my go-to summer fruits when making desserts. When I think about them, I always think of peach cobbler. Last year I made a couple of yummy treats inspired by this classic dessert, so if you love peach cobbler, I highly recommend checking out my Peach Cobbler Cupcakes and my Boozy Peach Cobbler Milkshakes. Both will give you the flavors of peach cobbler, but in fun and different ways.

When thinking about what peach dessert to make this year, I wanted to make something that was very light. An airy, no-bake dessert is the perfect treat for this time of year! The result? My peach mousse! I first tested this recipe last year when I decided to make a peach cobbler inspired dessert in the shape of a peach. The mousse was the outermost layer of the peach, and it offered a lighter texture compared to the “peach pit” made of peach curd and peach compote. All three layers of peach plus the streusel topping “gravel” gave all the flavor of a peach cobbler, but in a light and refreshing take on the traditional dessert.

Finishing this yummy mousse with a dollop of whipped cream and/or some crunchy streusel topping is a great way to add a delicious depth of flavor and a great textural component. The flavors will remind you of peach cobbler, but the components will result in a lovely, light treat.

Peach Mousse

INGREDIENTS
1/2 c cool water
2 packets of unflavored gelatin
1 c heavy whipping cream
1/4 c granulated sugar
2 c peach purée
4 egg whites
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

OPTIONAL GARNISHES
Whipped cream
Streusel Topping (Found in my Peach Cobbler Cupcakes post)

STEPS

To a small microwave-safe bowl, add a 1/2 cup water and then sprinkle the 2 packets of powdered gelatin over the top.
Briefly mix together and set aside for 5 minutes to allow the gelatin to bloom, and prep the rest of your ingredients and equipment.
Next, place the gelatin in the microwave and heat for 15–30 seconds, until all the gelatin has melted. Set aside to work on the rest of the components.
To a stand mixer bowl, add the 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 4 egg whites.
Using a wire whisk, whisk these ingredients by hand and then place the bowl over a medium saucepan containing simmering water.
Constantly whip this mixture until all of the sugar dissolves and reaches a temperature of 140°F on a thermometer. (This will pasteurize the egg whites so that they are safe for consumption.)
Remove the bowl from the stove, place it in the stand mixer, and whip on medium until it achieves medium peaks.
While the meringue whips, add the remaining 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream to a medium mixing bowl whisk either by hand or with a hand mixer until you reach medium peaks.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the peach puree and melted gelatin.
Next, fold the whipped cream into the mixture.
And finally, gently fold the meringue into the mixture. Fill your favorite serving glasses with the peach mousse and let it set for at least an hour.
The peach mousse is set and ready to serve!
Optional toppings include a nice dollop of whipped cream and/or a sprinkle of crunchy streusel topping.

Thank you so much for checking out this recipe! I hope you enjoy it as much as my taste-testers and I did!

Sweet Treats

Recipe—Cannoli Dip

August 6, 2020August 6, 2020 Diva di Cucina

Recipe—Cannoli Dip

Yesterday I did my first ever Instagram Live Cooking Demo. Did anyone catch it? If so, what did you think? Any feedback? I know there was certainly areas for improvement but I had fun and know what I can do better next time! If you want to view it you can do so here.

This was my first time ever doing any sort of live cooking demo so when Sac State UNIQUE Programs asked me if I would be willing to be a part of their summer virtual programming I jumped at the opportunity. I have never done any sort of cooking demo or Instagram Live video so I was absolutely stoked to do something outside my comfort zone. After all, virtual programming and activities have become such a big part of life these last several months.

For the cooking demo I was given a 1-hour timeslot and could make anything I wanted. I thought about it for a couple of days and knew I wanted to do a dinner and dessert. My go to favorite meal these days is my Italian Chicken Dinner. (It is so freaking easy and it is an entire meal!) Once I had that established, I decided to commit to an Italian theme. My first thought for dessert was tiramisu or cannolis. However, both are relatively time consuming and complex and since this was my first time cooking live I wanted to be sure it was something I could pull off. I decided to try and do a quick adaptation of cannolis and came up with this cannoli dip. Dessert dips are kind of my thing. You may recall that I have also posted recipes for Funfetti Cake Batter Cookie Dip, Sweet Cherry Chip Dip, Toffee Apple Dip, and a Sweet Cream Dip with Strawberries.

For those of you that may not know, a cannoli, it is a traditional Italian dessert that is a fried pastry tube filled with a sweet cream made with ricotta cheese as the base and then the ends are traditionally dipped in assorted garnishes, pistachios, chocolate chips, cherries, etc. If you have never had a cannoli, you may be thinking ricotta cheese in a pastry? The answer is, YES! YES! YES! Ricotta is a cheese that can be used in both savory or sweet dishes. The fluffy ricotta cheese is completely transformed in this recipe to a light and sweet cream filling that you could eat by the spoonful. This recipe is fantastic to take to a party or just to serve up for the family for a night in. I served it with broken waffle cones but it also goes great with strawberries, graham crackers, and Nilla wafers. The possibilities are really endless!

INGREDIENTS
1 c ricotta cheese
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1 c mini chocolate chips
box of waffle cones, broken up into chip sizes

STEPS

Place the ricotta, cream cheese, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat using a handheld or standing mixer on medium speed for 3–5 minutes or until smooth.
Add in the powdered sugar and continue to mix for another 1–2 minutes making sure it is all evenly incorporated.
Add most of the chocolate chips to the bowl and fold in using a rubber spatula or spoon. (Be sure to save a small handful to sprinkle over the top as garnish!)
Transfer the dip to a serving dish, garnish with remaining chocolate chips, and serve along with the broken waffle cones.

Sweet Treats

Recipe—Strawberry Cream Crumb Bars

July 7, 2020July 13, 2020 Diva di Cucina

Recipe—Strawberry Cream Crumb Bars

It’s summertime and I have strawberries on my mind! I could eat strawberry anything but these Strawberry Cream Crumb Bars are really something else. Growing up I loved loved LOVED those strawberry shortcake frozen dessert bars that have the crumbly shortbread coating on the outside. Anyone else ever have those? This simple recipe is those embodied in a dessert bar. Crumbly buttery cookie exterior with a sweet and creamy center. These are a perfect summer treat that everyone will love!

Note: These are delicious with any flavor of pie filling so feel free to use your favorite! These cut great with a pizza cutter when cooled.

INGREDIENTS
1 c brown sugar
3 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c butter, melted
1 c sour cream
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 c strawberry pie filling

STEPS

Preheat oven to 375º.
Line a 9” x 13” baking dish with foil and spray with some nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the brown sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Drizzle the melted butter over the dry ingredients and stir to combine. (The dough should be crumbly.)
Set aside 1 1/2 cups of the crumbly dough for the topping and press the remaining dough edge to edge into the bottom of the foil lined baking dish.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until evenly combined.
Spread the cream filling over the crust.
Place dollops of the strawberry pie filling over the cream.
Using a spoon, gently swirl the pie filling and the cream together making sure not to over mix.
Sprinkle the remaining dough crumbs over the top evenly.
Bake for 25–30 minutes or until the tops begin to brown and the center is set.
Allow the bars to cool completely in the baking dish.
Once the bars have cooled, lift the bars by the foil out of the baking dish, transfer to a cutting board, and cut into squares.
Store the bars in the fridge until ready to serve.

Brunch, Sweet Treats

Recipe—Cherry Cream Cheese Danishes

July 13, 2018June 26, 2018 Diva di Cucina

Cherry Cream Cheese Danishes

You know what is great about breakfast? It is the one meal during the day where it is acceptable to eat a dish that can be classified as dessert as the main dish. You can’t do that for lunch or dinner. While I typically prefer savory items when it comes to breakfast, I can not pass up a well done danish or doughnut. And if you recall from my Cherry Cheesecake Bars or Sweet Cherry Chip Dip, cherries and cream cheese are like totally my jam.

We were hosting Mother’s Day at our house this year and since I was going to be in the kitchen cooking for all the amazing women in my life, I decided I was going to make all of my favorite things, these danishes being one of them. Now don’t go tell anyone, but these are so quick and easy to make. You can whip these up in less than 30 minutes and look at how beautiful they are!

Note: I have a weak spot for cherry danishes but you can mix things up and use your favorite type of pie filling.

INGREDIENTS
1 package puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla
4 tbsp Sugar
21 oz can cherry pie filling
1 egg
1 tbsp water

STEPS

Preheat oven to 400º.
On a lightly floured cutting board, unfold the puff pastry sheets.
Cut each sheet into 9 equal squares so you have 18 total.
With a butter knife, gently score a 1/2 inch border around the edge of each piece of puff pastry
Using a fork, poke each pastry square 3–4 times in the middle.
Combine the cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until well combined.
Place a heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture in the center of each square and spread it evenly, ensuring it stays within the border.
In the middle of each square, place a large spoonful of the pie filling.
Transfer the squares to a parchment paper lined baking sheet as you finish each one up.
Beat the egg and water together in a small bowl.
Brush the edges of each pastry with the egg wash.
Bake for 15–20 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove the pastries from the baking sheet and allow to cool.

Sweet Treats

Recipe—Strawberries & Cream Poke Cake

June 29, 2018June 22, 2018 Diva di Cucina

Strawberries & Cream Poke Cake

Fourth of July is right around the corner and that means it is summer party season! I absolutely love this time of year. Days sat around the pool, getting together with friends, and the awesome party food. Burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, garlic bread… yumm! But what is a summer BBQ without an amazing summer dessert? Crap. That’s what it is. I kid! I kid! For real though, every good bbq needs a good dessert. Like this one.

Beings that strawberries are in season this makes it the perfect summer dessert. If you have never made a poke cake then this recipe is a must try. It is so easy to make! You literally just poke holes into the baked cake and all the Jello just fills in the holes and soaks into the cake. It is incredibly moist and it just looks so pretty once you cut into it. Almost too pretty to eat. Almost. 😉

INGREDIENTS
1 box white cake mix (as well as any ingredients it requires)
3 oz package strawberry Jello
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
fresh strawberries, sliced

STEPS

Prepare white cake per the package instructions in a 9” x 13” large square or rectangular baking dish and allow it to cool.
Bring one cup of water to a boil and remove from heat.
Add Jello to the hot water and stir until completely dissolved.
Add one more cup of cold water to the Jello mix, continue to stir, and set aside.
Using a fork, poke several holes into the cake.
Pour the Jello evenly over the top of the cake.
Cover the cake with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours.
After the cake has set, combine the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat until the whip cream thickens up.
Spread the whip cream over the top of the cake and then garnish with sliced strawberries as desired.
Serve and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Chef in Training.

Sweet Treats

Recipe—Blackberry Ice Cream

June 25, 2018May 4, 2021 Diva di Cucina

Blackberry Ice Cream

Homemade ice cream is so easy to make and yet people hardly ever do it. I mean look, 4 ingredients and 3 steps. There is really nothing quite like homemade fresh churned ice cream. As a kid I grew up with an old school hand cranked ice cream maker. My mom would add all the ingredients to the metal container and then we would put it in a wooden bucket and surround that with ice and salt and my sister and I would take turns churning it by hand. Best. Summer. Memories. Ever! Anyone else do that growing up?

Now I have evolved with the times and have a wonderful electrical ice cream maker. You just add in the ingredients, plug it in, and watch it go! I have this one by Cuisinart and LOVE it!

My favorite time to use it is during the summer when we have friends over for a BBQ. The kids always love watching it and they think it is so cool to make their own homemade ice cream!

I’ve tried several different recipes, mint chip, vanilla, mocha almond fudge, cookies and cream, vanilla, and then this blackberry ice cream recipe. I think blackberry has been my all-time favorite! It is truly the flavor of summer.

Blackberry Ice Cream

Notes: I use fresh blackberries but you can always get frozen ones and defrost them. This recipe is for a 2 quart maker so if you have a 5 quart you may want to double it.

INGREDIENTS
3 c blackberries
1 1/2 c sugar
1 pint half and half
1 pint heavy whipping cream

STEPS

Combine the blackberries and sugar in a large bowl.
Mash all the blackberries and sugar by hand until they are all juicy and syrupy. (You can also place the berries and sugar in a blender if you prefer.)
Pour the blackberry mixture, half and half, and heavy whipping cream into your ice cream maker and churn until it is desired thickness.

Snacks, Sweet Treats

Recipe—Churro Chex Mix

April 27, 2018April 18, 2018 Diva di Cucina

Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner and I have the perfect and fun sweet treat for you! This is a festive twist on the original Chex Muddy Buddies. The first time I made this was for a Cinco de Mayo party my son was attending and we were put on dessert duty. I instantly thought of churros but that was going to be way too much work for 20+ kids.

While nothing can replace the deliciousness of a freshly fried churro this snack mix certainly helps to satisfy that craving. The cereal maintains a nice crunchiness and then you have this delicious and creamy coating and a nice dusting of sugar and cinnamon. I will warn you though, it can be highly addictive! Perfect for your snacking pleasure.

INGREDIENTS
9 c corn Chex
1 (10 oz) bag Hershey’s cinnamon chips
1/2 c butter
1 c powdered sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 c sugar

STEPS

Place the Chex cereal in large mixing bowl.
In a Ziploc bag, combine the powdered sugar and cinnamon.
In a microwave safe bowl, heat the cinnamon chips and butter at 50% power for one minute and stir.
Continue to heat at 50% power in 30 second intervals stirring in between each, until the mixture is all melted and smooth.
Drizzle the melted cinnamon chip mixture over the cereal and stir to coat.
Add the powdered sugar mixture and stir to coat.
Lastly, stir in the sugar until all the cereal is well coated.
Cover a large baking sheet or cutting board with wax paper and spread out all the coated cereal to cool.

Adapted from Sunny Days with My Loves.

Brunch, Sweet Treats

Recipe—Fruit Pizza

March 28, 2018 Diva di Cucina

Fruit Pizza

Easter is just around the corner! (Does that stress anyone else out? LOL) I am someone who typically has my Easter menu planned weeks in advance but if you follow me on Instagram you may have seen that last week I was gone at a conference and between that and my sons’ baseball season being in full swing, I have just been too darn busy to pull it together. So guess what I am working on today? My Easter menu!

I made this fruit pizza for Easter brunch last year and it was a total hit! It was so easy and the kids loved it! Plus, it was delicious and looked beautiful and “springy” with all the bright colors. I am thinking this one may have to make it into the rotation again this year. You basically bake a huge sugar cookie, frost it, add some fruit, and throw a glaze down over the top. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

What are some of your go to Easter menu items? Comment below and give me some inspiration!

Notes: You can use any fruit you want. For mine I went with kiwis, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and a can of mandarin slices. Got almost all the colors of the rainbow in there! Also, this recipe will hold up for a few days in the fridge so don’t hesitate to make it a day in advance.

INGREDIENTS
16.5 oz package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
assorted fruit, washed, chopped, and dried off
1/4 c apricot preserves (large chunks of fruit removed)

STEPS

Preheat oven to 375º.
Line a 12” round pizza pan with parchment paper or cover with cooking spray. (If you don’t own a 12” pizza pan they sell disposable foil ones at the store that are great, or you can always just use a regular baking sheet and shape the dough into a large circle. I just find the pizza pan helps maintain a perfect circle.)
Crumble the cookie dough over the lined pizza pan and press the dough down in an even layer to completely cover the bottom of the pan.
Bake for 12–13 minutes.
Remove the cookie from oven and allow to cool completely.
In a mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until nice and fluffy.
Spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the cookie crust.
Top the frosted cookie with fruit. You can place it randomly or in a fun circular pattern. (Kids will have fun with this part!)
In a small bowl whisk together the apricot preserves with one tablespoon of water.
Brush the apricot mixture over the entire dish.
Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Serve and enjoy!

Sweet Treats

Recipe—Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies

February 14, 2018August 2, 2018 Diva di Cucina

This here is a recipe I have been sitting on for a while now. How selfish of me, I know! It takes two amazing desserts, oatmeal whoopie pies and carrot cake, and combines them into one fun one. I made these for a baby shower but they are also a perfect addition to any Easter brunch. The filling has the rich creaminess of cheesecake frosting and a nice fluff with the marshmallow mixed in. And if the filling alone isn’t enough to try this recipe, all that yumminess is sandwiched between two soft cookies (almost cake like) that have a perfect hint of spice mixed in from the cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.

COOKIE INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c quick oats
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c butter, softened
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 c finely grated carrots

FILLING INGREDIENTS
4 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz marshmallow fluff
4 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c powdered sugar

STEPS

In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt and set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Mix in the egg and vanilla and continue mixing until well combined.
Slowly add in the dry ingredients and continue to mix.
Fold in carrots and place the mixing bowl in the fridge for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350º and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
Take about 3 tbsp of the cookie batter and roll into dough balls.
Place the balls about 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheets.
Bake for about 11–12 minutes or until the centers are set.
Allow the cookies to sit on the baking sheet for a couple minutes after removing from the oven and then carefully transfer to a wire cooling rack.
Once all the cookies have completely cooled beat together the cream cheese, marshmallow fluff, butter, and vanilla.
Beat in the powdered sugar until nice and creamy. If the filling seems to soft add in additional powdered sugar.
Transfer the filling to a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner cut.
Pipe the filling onto the underside of one of the cookies and place another one on top.
Eat immediately or place in the fridge covered until ready to enjoy.