Tag: Dessert

Sweet Treats

Recipe—Chunky Monkey Cookies

Diva di Cucina

Do you have some overripe brown bananas on your counter that are about a day away from looking like a science project? Don’t toss them out! Put them to use. Typically when I have overripe bananas I make my banana nut bread. Well I already had a couple extra loaves in the freezer the other day so I decided to try something else. I thought to myself, chocolate and bananas are an awesome flavor combination so why not try to make some delicious cookies. This recipe is for chocolate chip banana oatmeal cookies but I like the name Chunky Monkeys, an ode to my favorite Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. These cookies are relatively more healthy than most oatmeal cookies since far less butter is needed with all those bananas in there keeping them moist. Be sure to store these in an airtight container and they will stay fresh for days. Hope you and your little monkeys enjoy them as much as mine did.

INGREDIENTS
3 overripe bananas
4 tbsp butter (1/2 stick), melted
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 c brown sugar, packed
1 c sugar
2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 c old fashioned oats
24 oz bag semisweet chocolate chips
1 c chopped pecans

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 350º.
  • In a large mixing bowl mash the bananas until smooth.
  • Beat in butter, eggs, vanilla, and sugars on low speed until smooth.
  • In a second mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  • Gradually add flour mixture to banana mixture and continue mixing on low speed until combined.
  • Stir in oats, chocolate chips, and nuts.
  • Drop cookie dough by the spoonful onto greased baking sheets.
  • Bake for 11–14 minutes or until lightly browned on top.
  • Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 2–3 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack or board to cool using a spatula.
  • Enjoy with a tall glass of cold milk!
Sweet Treats

Recipe—Pear and Pecan Crisp

Diva di Cucina

I have these fabulous friends who always have loads of fresh fruits and veggies on hand and I am lucky enough to have them share with me. The other day when I was visiting they had palettes of beautiful golden pears and I was fortunate enough to score some. Saweeet! I waited until the pears were perfectly ripe and then I created this delicious pear crisp for an office party. (My coworkers are so lucky to have me!) It was really a hit and super easy to make. Most people expect apple crisp when they see something like this so the pears are a pleasant surprise. They really were so sweet and packed with juice. Rather than an oat topping like many of my crisps, I made this with a streusel topping. This is a perfect fall dessert. I think I may be serving it up come Thanksgiving!

FILLING INGREDIENTS
5 large pears, cored and diced
2/3 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt

STREUSEL TOPPING INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 c flour
1/3 c sugar
1/3 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c pecans, finely chopped
1/2 c butter (1 stick), melted

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 350º.
  • In a large mixing bowl combine all the filling ingredients, pears, sugar, and salt. Set aside
  • In a separate bowl stir together the following topping ingredients flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans.
  • Drizzle the melted butter over the dry ingredients stirring while you go until it is evenly combined. The mix should be nice and crumbly.
  • Pour the pears into a large greased baking dish (7″ x 11″ worked great for me) and top with streusel crumbs.
  • Bake for 30–35 minutes or until the topping just begins to turn a golden brown.
  • Serve warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Brunch, Sweet Treats

Recipe—Spiced Carrot Bread

Diva di Cucina

With my produce now being delivered weekly, rather than bi-weekly, I am finding myself with leftover items when the weekend rolls around. This equates to some creative cooking. I still had some giant carrots from the previous week and decided to make some spiced carrot bread with them. This bread is quick and easy to make, the challenge is waiting for it to bake and cool because it smells so incredibly good while in the oven. You just want to eat it right away! My entire house had the aroma of sweet spices wafting around for days, perfect for fall. While this would be fabulous with a cream cheese based frosting, I wanted something that didn’t require refrigeration. It gives the bread just the perfect amount of sweetness. Enjoy it as is for breakfast or topped with whipped cream for dessert, either way you will be indulging your sweet tooth while getting in a healthy serving of veggies.

Note: This recipe makes two loaves of spiced carrot bread. Enjoy one now and freeze one for later! 

BREAD INGREDIENTS
1 c oil
4 eggs
1/2 c buttermilk
1 tbsp vanilla
2 1/2 c sugar
2 c shredded carrots (2–3 large carrots)
4 c flour
1/2  tbsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2  tsp baking soda
1/2  tsp nutmeg
1/2  tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves

FROSTING INGREDIENTS
1/4 c butter, melted
1 tbsp water
1 c powdered sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

BREAD STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 350º.
  • Spray two loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl whisk together oil, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, and sugar.
  • Stir in the shredded carrots.
  • In a second large mixing bowl mix together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
  • Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir until well combined.
  • Evenly distribute the batter between the two pans.
  • Bake for 60–70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out almost clean when inserted in the middle.
  • Allow loaves to sit in the pans for 5 minutes and then carefully remove and place on a cutting board or cooling rack.
  • Allow loaves to cool completely before frosting.

FROSTING STEPS

  • Once the loaves have cooled completely stir together the melted butter and water.
  • Add in half of the powdered sugar and beat using the fork until smooth.
  • Add in the remaining powdered sugar and continue beating until the frosting is nice and smooth.
  • Stir in the cinnamon.
  • Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag or a Ziploc bag. (If using a Ziploc bag cut off a small corner of the bag.)
  • Drizzle both loaves with the frosting and allow to set for 15 minutes before slicing.
Appetizers, Snacks, Sweet Treats

Recipe—Toffee Apple Dip

Diva di Cucina

I love it when I can find festive after school snacks for my little munchkin. While this isn’t the healthiest snack, we sure had fun making it together. We had it “whipped” up in less than 5 minutes and eaten in almost the same amount of time. Just kidding, I demonstrated some self-control and saved a little for my husband to enjoy for dessert that night. This was so good that when we ran out of apples I was just using my fingers to scoop it out. I know, I’m ashamed, but I couldn’t help it! It was really yummy! A better name for this is probably “Apple Crack”. After we finished the dip off we were trying to think about what else would go well with it and we think some graham crackers or Nilla wafers would make great dippers too. Enjoy! (And I know you will!)

Note: This is the perfect amount for 3–5 people but if you want to make it for a group definitely double or triple the recipe.

INGREDIENTS
1 Heath bar
8 oz cream cheese (1 block)
1/3 c brown sugar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3–5 apples sliced

STEPS

  • Using a very sharp knife cut the Heath bar up into small bits. Set a tablespoon of the bits aside.
  • In a small mixing bowl beat together the cream cheese, sugars, and vanilla,
  • Stir in the majority of the Heath bits.
  • Transfer to a small serving bowl.
  • Top with reserved Heath bits.
  • Serve with sliced apples.
Sweet Treats

Recipe—Cherry Cheesecake Bars

Diva di Cucina

My name is Rebecca and I am a cheesecakeaholic. There I said it and boy does it feel good to get it off my chest. I love the stuff. Cherry cheesecake is my kryptonite. I could sit there and eat filling by the spoonful before it even hits the crust. One of the many reasons I LOVE this recipe is that it is quick and effortless to make. There is no need to wait for cooking and cooling for hours like a traditional cheesecake. This takes less than 20 minutes to make and just an hour to cool. It just doesn’t get any easier. The Cool Whip makes it incredibly light and fluffy unlike some of those dense baked cheesecakes. Hope you enjoy this as much as I do! I have a feeling you just wont be able to get enough.

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
½ c sugar
½ c butter (1 stick), melted
8 oz package cream cheese, softened
8 oz tub Cool Whip
3 c powdered sugar
2-21 oz cans cherry pie filling (I like the ones with more fruit)

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 350º.
  • In a medium sized mixing bowl combine graham crumbs, sugar, and melted butter and stir until well mixed.
  • Pour the crumb mixture into a greased 9” x 13” baking dish.
  • Using the backside of a spatula press the mixture down to pack it into a thin crust.
  • Bake crust in the oven for 15 minutes.
  • Remove crust from oven and allow to cool.
  • While crust is cooling use a hand mixer and beat together the cream cheese, cool whip, and powdered sugar until smooth.
  • Spread the cool whip mixture over the crust.
  • Next, spread the cherry pie filling over the cream cheese base.
  • Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
  • Devourer!
Brunch, Sweet Treats

Recipe—Plum Crisp

Diva di Cucina

I have been getting lots of purple plums in my produce boxes this summer and that has resulted in me having fun creating delicious plum desserts. I think I finally have one worth sharing, a tart plum crisp! The sweet crunchy crisp perfectly complements the tartness of the plum filling. Having an oat based topping makes this the perfect breakfast appropriate dessert. It really is like eating a warm bowl of oatmeal with baked plums. That’s right, I’m encouraging you to eat dessert for breakfast. You only live once after all!

Note: If you don’t have any fresh plums, or they are out of season, you can replace the fresh plums with two 15 oz cans of purple plums. Just be sure to remove the pits and drain them.

INGREDIENTS
10–12 sliced plums
1/2 c juice of choice (cranberry, pomegranate, or apple juice are great)
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 c all purpose flour
1 c oats
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp butter, softened
2 tbsp light corn syrup

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 400º.
  • In a large saucepan, combine fruit juice, lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch and mix until smooth.
  • Bring to a boil over medium-high heat stirring frequently.
  • Add in plums and continue cooking and stirring for 1–2 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and set aside.
  • In a mixing bowl combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
  • Mix in butter and corn syrup until mixture is crumbly.
  • Place plum mixture into in a small baking dish. (9” pie dish or square pyrex are perfect size.)
  • Top plums with the crumb topping.
  • Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Serve warm or cold, and don’t forget the scoop of ice cream!
Sweet Treats

Recipe—Personal Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

Diva di Cucina

Pineapple upside down cake is one of those traditional all American classics that has been around forever, well at least since the 1920s. These personal versions are great for entertaining a small group and so easy to whip up and serve. One of the many great things about this recipe is that you can keep the items stocked in your pantry and whip these up in a very short amount of time. They are quick and so incredibly easy to make. I made them for our dinner party the other night and they were a real hit. My husband said he could have kept eating them and my 2-year-old son liked them so much he didn’t even have an interest in the ice cream I served with it. He just wanted the cake, or as he called it, “birthday.”

Note: This recipe is written to make 6 personal cakes using a Texas muffin pan. If you don’t own one of these you can use a standard muffin pan and substitute pineapple rings with pineapple chunks and adjust the baking time to 17–20 minutes.

INGREDIENTS
2 eggs
2/3 c sugar
4 tbsp pineapple juice (use the stuff in your can of pineapple rings)
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c butter
2/3 c brown sugar
1-20 oz can pineapple rings
maraschino cherries

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 350º.
  • In a medium mixing bowl beat together eggs, sugar, pineapple juice, and vanilla.
  • Using a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  • Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ones and set aside.
  • In a small saucepan melt the butter and stir in the brown sugar until almost dissolved.
  • Grease a 6-cup Texas muffin pan.
  • Evenly distribute the brown sugar sauce in each cup.
  • Place a pineapple ring in the bottom of each muffin cup and a cherry in the center of the pineapple ring.
  • Pour the cake mixture into each cup until there is none left. They will probably be about 3/4 of the way full.
  • Place muffin pan in oven and bake for 22–25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.
  • Allow to sit for 3 minutes.
  • Place a cutting board over the top of the muffin pan and quickly flip the muffin pan upside down.
  • If the mini cakes don’t release from the pan lightly tap the pan with a rubber spatula until it releases.
  • Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and enjoy!
Sweet Treats

Recipe—Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Balls

Diva di Cucina

These no-bake caramel pecan cheesecake balls are the type of dessert that make your teeth hurt just looking at them. And I mean that in the best way possible. There is a reason these are bite size servings. They are so rich that you really will only want to eat one, but will probably devour a couple. You just wont be able to resist. They are dangerous like that so beware! I made these for a recent birthday party and had at least half the people ask for the recipe. I’m pretty sure that’s a good thing. These are the perfect party dessert if you are looking for something that is absolutely delicious and bite size.

Note: I ate these frozen as well as refrigerated and they were delicious both ways.

INGREDIENTS
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
1 c powder sugar
1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp butter
1/2 c pecans, chopped
1/4 cup caramel sauce

STEPS

  • In a medium mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, graham cracker crumbs, and powdered sugar. Beat using a mixer until well combined and smooth.
  • Add in more powdered sugar and graham cracker crumbs as needed to make the consistency of a cookie dough so that it is easy to work with.
  • Place bowl in the fridge for a half hour to allow “dough” to set.
  • Using a tablespoon or melon baller scoop up balls and roll in your hand until round in shape.
  • Place each ball on a wax paper lined baking sheet.
  • Place the baking sheet in the freezer for an hour so that the cheesecake balls harden and don’t melt when you are dipping them in the hot chocolate.Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler whisking with a fork until smooth. (The step can also be done in the microwave just be sure to check on it and stir every 30 seconds. The chocolate can burn easily.)
  • Dip each ball into the melted chocolate and turn until evenly coated. (I find using a fork works great to remove the balls from the chocolate so that the excess can drip off between the prongs.)
  • Place the chocolate-coated cheesecake balls back on the wax paper covered baking sheet.
  • When you are done dipping each ball drizzle with the caramel sauce. (I find using a zip loc bag with the corner cut off works great. And it is a breeze to clean up, just throw the bag away!)
  • Sprinkle the cheesecake balls with crushed nuts and place in the fridge for at least one hour before consuming.
Sweet Treats

Recipe—Piña Colada Pie with Drunken Rum Sauce

Diva di Cucina

Looking for that perfect summer dessert that takes you away to a tropical island? Then look no further! My piña colada pie is a little slice of paradise. This crust less pie could not be easier to make. You literally combine all the ingredients and put it in the oven to bake. It is a creamy custard based pie which is great all on it’s own but add in the drunken rum sauce and ooo-weeee! That’s good stuff, like a party in your mouth! I like to top mine with some homemade whip cream and crushed macadamia nuts to dress it up a bit. I made this for some friends the other night and they said it was like nothing they had ever had before (I am pretty sure it was a compliment). It is a one of a kind dessert that will make your mouth happy.

PIE INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 c heavy whipping cream
1/2 c sugar
6 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 c flour
2 c shredded coconut
8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained

DRUNKEN RUM SAUCE INGREDIENTS
1 c butter
1 c Myers dark rum
1 c brown sugar

GARNISHES
whipped cream
crushed macadamia nuts

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 350º.
  • In a large mixing bowl combine cream, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and flour.
  • Mix using a hand mixer for about 2 minutes on medium speed.
  • Fold in coconut and pineapple until completely combined.
  • Pour your pie mixture into a greased pie dish.
  • Bake for 40–45 minutes.
  • Remove pie from oven and allow to cool.
  • While pie is cooling start the rum sauce by melting the butter in a small saucepan.
  • Stir in brown sugar and whisk until sugar is dissolved.
  • Add in rum and bring to a gentle boil.
  • Turn heat to low and simmer for 2–3 minutes.
  • Pour sauce over a warm slice of pie and top with whipped cream and some macadamia nuts.
Brunch, Sweet Treats

Recipe—Peaches & Cream Cheesecake Bars

Diva di Cucina

The last few trips to the grocery store I have been overwhelmed with the smell of fresh peaches in the produce section. It’s peach season in California! Every summer I like to bake peach crisp and serve it a la mode. I love the combination of the sweet baked peaches with the creamy vanilla ice cream and the crispy strudel topping. I decided to mix it up this year with a new peach dessert that had all those same qualities.

This is a cool and refreshing peach dessert that combines the best of two worlds, a peach crisp and one of my other favorites, cheesecake! This was so quick and easy to put together. While it is rich enough to be a dessert I personally think it is equally perfect as a brunch item. It almost has the qualities of a peach danish, so why not have dessert for breakfast? You only live once!

INGREDIENTS
1 box dry yellow cake mix
1/3 c butter, room temperature
2 eggs
3 ripe peaches, sliced and peeled or one 29 oz can sliced peaches, drained
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 350º.
  • Spray a 7” x 11” baking dish with nonstick spray.
  • In a large bowl combine cake mix, butter, and 1 of the eggs.
  • Mix with a fork until nice and crumbly.
  • Set aside 1 1/2 cups of the mix for your topping.
  • Evenly distribute the remaining crumb mixture in the greased pan and press into the bottom to make a crust
  • Bake for 10 minutes.
  • Evenly distribute peach slices onto partially baked crust.
  • In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and the 1 remaining egg.
  • Beat using a mixer until creamy.
  • Pour mixture over the peaches and use a rubber spatula to help spread it evenly.
  • Sprinkle the reserved crumbs over the top.
  • Bake for 30 minutes or until crumb topping is a nice golden color.
  • Allow to cool completely at room temperature.
  • Place in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.