Category Archives: DESSERT RECIPES

CAPPUCCINO BROWNIES

So, yes I know, using a brownie mix is cheating. But I purchase the big boxes of Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownie Mix at Costco because I often serve brownies at our monthly JazzVox in-home concerts and this mix really saves me money and time. Plus, the brownies are delicious. Then when you add a layer of coffee flavored butter cream and a topping of ganache, well decadence personified is not an over exaggeration!

Plus, almost everyone loves brownies. In fact, right after pizza, chocolate is the 2nd most beloved food in America according to a poll taken and reported on “The Top Tens” web site. Next on the list is chicken. I found that quite interesting; a food item high on the list that actually contained nutritional value! Next most popular food – ice cream. No surprise there. After that burgers, steak, tacos, sushi, bacon (no surprise there either) and finally French fries. So while I was researching favorite foods, I thought about my own top ten list of edibles that I find most appealing. (Given what I learned about myself during this little self-analysis, I should really weigh about 300 pounds! There must be something dramatically wrong with my metabolism that although close, I’m not there yet!)

Patti’s top ten (not necessarily in order, except for cheese burgers of course): cheese burgers (always and ever number one on my list), broccoli and zucchini (tied), poultry, mixed green salads (especially when topped with blue cheese dressing), homemade pepperoni pizza, any oven roasted vegetable, any kind of cheese, homemade soup, pasta with a rich creamy sauce, and finally bread of any kind, especially warm sour dough bread with lots of butter. Of course, honorable mention must go to very dry Tanqueray martinis, shaken not stirred, up with one olive. (You can’t live on them, but who wants to live without them either?)

Although chocolate, or any other sweet for that matter, is not on my top ten favorite foods list, it just might be on yours. If so, do yourself a favor and make a batch of these amazing brownies. They are simple to prepare and look and taste like a million dollars. Cheers to Theobroma Cacao, the fruit of Gods!

  • 1 pkg. chocolate brownie mix (or favorite from scratch recipe)
  • ¼ c. butter, room temperature
  • 2 c. powdered sugar
  • 2 T. + 1/3 c. plus 3 T. heavy cream
  • 2 tsp. + ¼ tsp. instant espresso coffee (I use Medaglia D’oro)
  • 1 ½ c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • coffee beans, opt. garnish

Prepare and bake brownie mix according to instructions on package in a lightly greased 9×13-inch pan. (Even if the mix says bake in an 8×8 or 9×9 pan use a 9×13.) Allow to cool. Meanwhile, cream together the butter and powdered sugar. (Will be a very dry mixture at this point.) In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 tablespoons heavy cream and 2 teaspoons coffee powder. Add the cream mixture to the butter/powdered sugar mixture. Beat until very creamy and smooth. Spread evenly over cooled brownies. Chill for 1 hour. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat and stir the remaining 1/3rd cup plus 3 tablespoons heavy cream and chocolate chips together over low heat until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and continue stirring until the mixture is smooth and begins to thicken. Stir in the remaining 1/4th teaspoon instant espresso coffee. Spread over chilled brownies and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut into desired size and top each piece with a coffee bean.

APPLE CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

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This is probably the best and easiest apple cake recipe imaginable. I received the basic bones of this recipe from my dear friend Linda’s mother Rhoda. Rhoda told me the cake was OK served the same day but was absolutely sensational after it had been frozen. I sometimes bake wedding cakes for relatives and friends and always freeze them until the day they are to be served. But until Rhoda told me about freezing this particular cake, I hadn’t really thought about why some cakes are actually moister after having been frozen.  Since vegetables and fruit are built of cells containing cytoplasm (the clear liquid that fills the cells), when frozen, water expansion causes the cell membranes to rupture. This creates a distinctly different texture. In essence, plant cells lose any remaining crispness that may have remained after having been exposed to heat during the baking process. (I’m no chemist, so this is a very rudimentary, and hopefully accurate explanation.) Bottom line: I would never dream of serving any cake containing fruit or veggie matter without first letting it spend a bit of quality time in my freezer. Same goes for quick breads such as Banana or Zucchini. The difference is simply that remarkable.

Please note: There are two recipes for cream cheese frosting below

Cake:

  • 4 c. grated apples
  • 1 c. granulated sugar
  • 1 c. packed brown sugar
  • ½ c. vegetable oil
  • 1 c. chopped nuts
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 c. flour
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 2 tsp. soda
  • 1 tsp. salt

Combine apples, sugars, oil, nuts, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk together the flour cinnamon, soda, and salt. Add to apple mixture. Pour into a greased and floured 9 X 13-inch pan. (A glass pan is best.) Bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven (for glass) or 350 degree oven (for metal) for 40-45 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into middle of cake comes out clean. Cool completely, cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and freeze for at least 2 days. Defrost and spread with frosting. *Decorate with chopped nuts. Serve at room temperature.

*I always decorate a cake with nuts if there are nuts in the cake itself. You never know when someone might be allergic. So if there are nuts on top, no one has to wonder. Many people don’t like to cause a fuss, and having nuts so in evidence, nothing has to be said to the hostess except no thank you!

Regular Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • ½ c. butter, room temperature
  • 8-oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 lb. powdered sugar
  • ½ c. chopped nuts, decoration

Cream butter and cream cheese together until well blended. Add vanilla and enough powdered sugar to make a firm but not too stiff consistency. Beat until smooth and easy to spread.

Spiced and Spiked Cream Cheese Frosting: 

  • ½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
  • pinch salt
  • 2 T. brown sugar
  • ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. vanilla
  • 1½ T. liqueur – Calvados (apple flavored brandy) or regular brandy
  • 1 lb. powdered sugar, more or less

Beat the butter, cream cheese, salt, and brown sugar together until creamy. Mix in the cinnamon, vanilla, and Calvados. Add powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency.

 

 

 

 

 

APPLE PIE BARS

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There is just nothing better than apple pie.  Apple pie is delicious, relatively inexpensive to prepare, and by golly, it’s American! But Apple Pie Bars, an Irish favorite, are simply amazing too and take about half the time to prepare. All the lovely spiced apple flavor we so dearly love is right there in this dessert. Then to make matters even more delectable, and decadent I might add, we take the whole dish over the top by adding a *cognac flavored whipped cream. (I don’t know if a liquor enhanced whipped cream is Irish or not. But when Mr. C. and our good friend Mr. H. recommended the use of cognac when I approached the subject of adding some type of booze to the whipped cream for this dessert, it sounded perfect to me. It turned out so amazing, that if the Irish don’t add liquor to their whipped cream, they sure as heck should be!)

*Some interesting information about cognac. According to the Cognac Expert web site “cognac is a type of blended brandy (distilled wine) that most commonly is produced in 3 different grades – V.S. (Very Special – aged 2-5 years), V.S.O.P. (Very Superior Old Pale – aged 5-10 years), and X.O. (Extra Old – 10 years and beyond). Blending different ages of cognacs is what determines the grade and quality of the finished product. And it doesn’t matter in what proportion these cognacs are blended, it’s the youngest one in the blend that determines the grade. So, for example, you might find that a large producer blends a few drops of a very, very old and rounded cognac with a small amount of middle aged Cognac, and then fills the bottle with seven year old cognac. They would still only be able to market the bottle as V.S.O.P. because the youngest member of the blend was within the 5 to 10 year guideline for V.S.O.P.” As with other fine liquor, aging time is often a consideration in both quality and price. So obviously an X.O. cognac is going to be considerably more expensive to purchase than a V.S. For cooking purposes, I use a V.S., whereas for sipping, Mr. C. prefers a V.S.O.P. (Of course he does.) A little hint regarding the use of cognac in cooking: I love good gravy, and in my humble opinion, I make one that’s fairly decent. (Our good friend Jim swears it’s only because I have the “grandma” gene.) But I have a secret. I often finish my gravies with a teaspoon or two of cognac. There is just something about the flavor of cognac that blends beautifully with the richness of the meat juices, especially in turkey gravy. You don’t even really taste the cognac. It just helps ramp up the other flavors. So give it a try next time you fix gravy. Just go easy, you don’t really want your family or guests to learn your secret. Just let them think you possess a “gravy” gene too. It’s more fun that way!

  • 2 c. + 1 T. flour
  • 1/2 c. granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 3/4 c. chilled butter, diced
  • 2 egg yolks, beaten
  • 3 large semi-tart apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼-inch slices
  • 1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon + more for sprinkling
  • 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1 c. heavy whipping cream
  • 2 T. powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp. cognac or spiced rum or 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Whisk the 2 cups flour, granulated sugar, and salt together in a bowl. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (I use my fingers.) Stir in egg yolks with a regular table knife. (The dough will be crumbly.)  Remove 1/4 of the mixture and set aside. Press remainder onto bottom of a 9×13-inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, remaining 1 tablespoon flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg; add prepared apples. (See tip below.) Place apples on crust, and top with reserved crumb mixture sprinkled evenly over top.
Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes or until top is a light golden brown and filling is bubbly around the edges of the pan. Meanwhile whip heavy cream to stiff peaks. Add powdered sugar and cognac and whip again just until combined. Serve bars warm or at room temperature dolloped with whipped cream and sprinkled lightly with cinnamon. Absolutely delightful served with a nice hot cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk. (Tip: cut your apples ahead of time if you want, but don’t add the brown sugar mixture until just before you are ready to bake. If the sugar mixture is added ahead of time, osmosis (the tendency of liquid to travel) will occur and just that little bit of excess liquid can make the shortbread crust soggy. This same principle also applies when baking fruit pies. Regardless of whether you are using apples, berries, or any other type of fruit, don’t add the sugar mixture until just before you place the mixture on the bottom crust. (I even go so far as to have my top crust all ready to go before I add the filling.) Believe me, the fruit will still give off plenty of juice while it is baking, but you have a better chance of your pie crust not getting soggy if you start with as little liquid as possible.)

 

BREAD PUDDING WITH SPICED RUM SAUCE

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There are few desserts as delicious as bread pudding. But it has to be good bread pudding. For decades I shied away from this incredible dessert because of my grandmother. Please allow me to explain. I think I’ve already told you that both my mother and maternal grandmother were not good cooks. My grandmother however, was excellent at homemade bread and pies. So you would think, since bread pudding is made from bread, she should have been able to make at least a passable bread pudding. Absolutely not the case. And since I never watched her put one together, I actually don’t know how hers was prepared. (Even from the ripe old age of 4 or so, I knew instinctively when to say no thank you to food that I had once tasted and knew was of poor quality. Why then would I even want to know how it was prepared? I was no dummy, even as a kid!) But, to the best of my recollection, grandma’s bread pudding starred plain old bread, soaked in a combination of milk, eggs, and a pinch of cinnamon and liberally laced with raisins. Now I like raisins, but not when they are burnt. And that was my grandmother’s forte. She could burn a raisin better than anyone I have ever known. And even if there had been some kind of warm sauce to serve with the pudding, it sure as heck didn’t contain liquor. (Not that I would have even known about cooking with liquor when I was a child. My parents weren’t teetotalers, but by any stretch of the imagination, they weren’t drinkers either. So spring forward several decades to when I left my bad memories behind and became a true devotee of bread saturated with milk, cream, and eggs and studded with little golden jewels of flavor. New Orleans. Marti Gras. Good friends (Dick, Eloise, son John and daughter-in-law Carol), fun parades, great music, and amazing food. So you know the old saying, when in Rome, well when in New Orleans you eat anything placed in front of you because it is bound to be delicious. So in order not to appear a prig (yes, I spelled it right) I went along with the crowd and ordered bread pudding for dessert one evening. Any resemblance to what I had experienced as a child was merely coincidental!  I had discovered heaven in a bowl. As soon as we got home after our 10 day adventure in Louisiana, I went to work finding the perfect recipe for bread pudding. I finally ended up with the recipe below, an amalgam of several recipes I found in cookbooks. I hope you enjoy this lovely dessert as much as we do. This bread pudding has actually made believers of others like me who, until they tried really good bread pudding, just couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. But I get it now. This recipe could make a bread pudding believer out of you too. Give it a try.

Bread Pudding Ingredients:

  • ¼ c. spiced rum
  • 1 c. golden raisins
  • 8 lg. eggs, room temperature
  • 3 ½ c. whole milk
  • 1 ½ c. heavy cream
  • 1 ½ tsp. vanilla
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 (1-lb.) loaf Challah or other dense egg bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

Spiced Rum Sauce Ingredients:

  • 1 c. packed brown sugar
  • ½ c. butter
  • ½ c. heavy cream
  • 2 T. spiced rum
  • ¼ tsp. cinnamon

Whipped Cream Topping Ingredients:

  • 1 c. heavy cream
  • 2 T. powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp. spiced rum

Bread Pudding: Combine spiced rum and golden raisins in a small heavy pan. Bring to a boil and simmer until all liquid evaporates. Remove from heat and cool. Meanwhile combine eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Gently stir in bread cubes and cooled raisins. Pour mixture into a buttered 9×13-inch baking dish. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Bake uncovered in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 75 minutes or until golden brown and puffed. (Watch carefully the last 30 minutes or so. If the pudding starts to get too brown before it is set, gently tent with aluminum foil.) Serve warm with Spiced Rum Sauce and a dollop of Whipped Cream Topping.

Spiced Rum Sauce: Combine brown sugar and butter in a medium sized heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes or until butter completely melted and mixture is smooth. Add heavy cream, spiced rum, and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer and cook for approximately 5 minutes or until mixture thickens and is reduced to about 1 ½ cups. Serve warm over pudding. Can be made ahead and refrigerated. Bring to a simmer again before serving.

Whipped Cream Topping:  Whip heavy cream to stiff peaks; add powdered sugar and spiced rum. Serve dolloped over top of Spiced Rum Sauce.

 

PEACH KUCHEN

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There are few recipes with which I can impress people regarding my ultimate command of all things gluten as much as when I serve these amazing bar cookies/dessert. I really should not be sharing this recipe with you because my expertise in the kitchen is going to suffer a mighty hit when you realize how easy Peach Kuchen is to prepare. But because I hold you in such high regard and want you also to be known as kitchen geniuses, I am going to make the supreme sacrifice. (Nobility obviously runs in my family. It runs alright, as fast and as far away as possible!) But back to the recipe. I found this recipe probably 25 years ago, and as with many of the recipes I am going to share with you, couldn’t name the author even if someone threatened to take away my KitchenAid mixer! So for what it’s worth, take my advice and prepare Peach Kuchen next time you need a quick and easy cookie/dessert. You are simply not going to believe how good these few pantry and refrigerator staples can taste when combined for this dessert. And yes, of course, butter, eggs, and sour cream are staples in my home! If I even run low on butter and sour cream, I break out in hives. As far as white cake mix, coconut, and sliced peaches, they too are standard ingredients I always try to have on hand. (And no, I don’t break out in hives if a white cake mix doesn’t happen to be in residence in my pantry. I lose sleep of course until I can get to the store and purchase one, but I don’t break out in hives. That would be ridiculous!)

  • ¾ c. cold butter
  • 1 box white cake mix
  • ½ c. coconut
  • 1 can (29-oz.) sliced peaches
  • 1 T. cinnamon (yes, 1 tablespoon!)
  • ½ c. sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 c. sour cream

Cut butter into cake mix until crumbly. Add coconut. Pat mixture into an ungreased 12×17-inch medium sized jelly roll pan (a 10×16-inch pan can be used in a pinch if you don’t own a 12×17); bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool. Meanwhile, drain the peaches and chop into pea sized pieces. When crust is cool, arrange peach pieces evenly over the surface. Mix cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle evenly over the peaches. Combine egg and sour cream and slather evenly over the top of the cinnamon and sugar. Bake another 25 minutes or until sour cream mixture is set. (Thin cracks will start to appear on the surface when the sour cream is set.)  Cool and cut into small squares.

Note: I have never served this cookie/dessert without someone asking me for the recipe. These are simply heaven on earth good.

 

 

CHERRIES JUBILEE

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I am not the biggest lover of sweets. But don’t get me wrong, like everyone else, I enjoy a really good piece of pie, or a perfectly baked cookie. But sweets are not the reason I am filled to the brim of slimness. That dubious honor belongs to bread and sauces! But even though desserts aren’t my thing, I almost always prepare one when I am having guests over for dinner. And luckily for Mr. C. that is quite often. (Unlike me, Mr. C. was blessed with not just one sweet tooth, but several!) So give this take on an old classic a try. The great thing about my version is that it is prepared ahead of time and only warmed at the last minute. Of course you will lose points because this way of serving Cherries Jubilee is not flamed at the table. But having to possibly invite the fire department to join your dinner party isn’t all that appealing either!

  • 1 can cherries, drained, juice reserved
  • 2 tsp. Demerara sugar
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp. orange zest
  • 2 T. Kirschwasser (cherry flavored liqueur)
  • vanilla ice cream

Whisk together the cherry juice, sugar, cornstarch, and orange zest in a small sauce pan. Place over medium heat and cook until smooth and thick. Add the drained cherries. Turn off the heat, turn off your fan and pour liqueur over mixture. Torch the liqueur and allow the flame to go out on its own. If you are not going to serve within a few hours, refrigerate until ready to use. When ready to serve, gently warm the sauce and layer with ice cream in pretty glasses or small bowls. Serve immediately. Believe me, even without the showy presentation, your guests will love this not too sweet dessert.

 

BABA AU RHUM

One never knows what might just come from a simple question asked by your husband while he is completing a cross word puzzle. One morning  Mr. C. was doing his daily New York Times cross word puzzle (he does them every morning in the time it takes me to drink my Americano) and the clue was Baba au _ _ _ _ (fill in the blanks). Well he came up with rhum, but neither one of us had any idea what it meant. I happened to be near my computer so I did a search. Well the first thing that came up was Ina Garten’s recipe for “Baba au Rhum”. I read the recipe and told Mr. C. about my discovery. The recipe sounded so good, I just had to give it a try (with my own spin, of course). So, since it was a couple of weeks before Christmas, and I needed a dessert for both Christmas Eve and Christmas day, I thought a double recipe of Baba au Rhum would be perfect.  I don’t believe “perfect” adequately describes this dessert. It is possibly the best thing I have ever put in my mouth. Everyone else loved it too. It has now become number 1 on the “Extended Family Holiday Sacred Side Dishes and Desserts List”. I’m fairly certain that if I don’t make this fabulous dessert again next Christmas, and every year thereafter, I might meet the “hereafter” sooner than nature and the Gods of such things had originally planned for me! Just sayin’…….

  • 1/3 c. dried currents
  • 1 T. + 2/3 c. dark rum
  • 5 T. butter, divided, room temperature
  • 1/2 c. milk
  • 1 T. active dry yeast (1 pkg.)
  • 2 T. + 1 c. sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 2/3 c. flour
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • ½ tsp. + 2 tsp. vanilla
  •  3/4 c. apricot preserves
  • 1 T. water
  • 2 c. heavy cream
  • 3-4 T. powdered sugar

Combine the currants and rum in a small bowl and set aside. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and brush a Bundt pan, tube pan, or kugelhopf mold with the melted butter. Be sure every surface is coated with the butter. Warm the milk and pour it into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (You don’t want the milk to kill your poor little yeasty beasties, so not too warm.) Stir in the yeast and 2 tablespoons sugar and allow to sit (proof) for 5 minutes. Add the eggs, flour, salt, and remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Beat the mixture for 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover with a damp towel, and allow dough to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. After the dough has doubled, stir in the currants. Spoon the very sticky dough into the prepared pan, smooth the top, cover with a damp towel, and allow to rise for another 50 minutes to an hour. Place the Baba in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then gently encourage the Baba to release from it’s pan and land gracefully on a serving plate. (Saying “good Baba” whilst releasing Baba from its baking pan always helps, by-the-way!) Meanwhile, while the Baba is baking, prepare the rum syrup that will be poured over the cake when it is out of the oven. Place the remaining 1 cup sugar and 1 1/2 cups of water in a small saucepan. Simmer until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 2/3 cup dark rum and the ½ teaspoon vanilla. Set syrup aside until the cake is out of the oven and on its final resting place. While the cake is still hot, gently and slowly pour or spoon as much of the rum syrup onto the cake as it will absorb. (Don’t be surprised if it sucks up almost all of the liquid. It will be a thirsty little Baba, make no mistake.) You will know when it has had its fill (so to speak), when standing puddles of liquid start appearing on the cake plate. At this point heat the apricot preserves with the 1 tablespoon of water and brush the mixture over every little nook and cranny of the Baba. Let cool completely before serving. When you are ready to serve, whip the heavy cream to hard peaks (not too long or you will end up with butter), add the powdered sugar, and the remaining 2 teaspoons of vanilla and continue whipping just until all ingredients combined.  Serve slices of Baba with a dollop of whipped cream on each piece.

At this point, I think it might be a good idea for me to recommend that before you serve this amazing dessert, you take the time for just one more tiny little preparation. In order for you to be ready to humbly and graciously acknowledge all the glowing compliments you will receive from your guests, you should mentally prepare what I lovingly refer to as an “acceptance” speech. Nothing over the top you realize, just  a conception of how you are going to graciously accept the many compliments you are inevitably going to receive. You might consider, for example, a modest nod to your superior baking skills, perhaps an antidote about how clever you were to find the recipe, an honest statement about how horribly hard this recipe is to prepare, and perhaps close with an endearing comment about how happy it makes you to be able to serve this incredible dessert to those you hold so dear. Like I said, a humble and gracious acknowledgement, nothing over the top!