Category Archives: Desserts

Lemon Berry Parfait

Desserts, , , ,

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Light and refreshing is how I would describe Lemon Berry Parfait. I wanted to make a quick summer dessert that would be tasty on the lips and not too much on the hips. Summer is a great time to find all kinds of berries. My family use to grow raspberries and strawberries when I was growing up so I love to mix them in salads and desserts. Fruit helps to brighten up certain dishes and also makes them a little bit healthier.

lemon curd_1

Lemon curd. The first time I asked for lemon curd at the grocer the clerk looked at me like I had too heads. Not many folks know what lemon curd is or how to use it. I became familiar with lemon curd only because my mom is a wonderful chef and has made fantastic desserts over the years and sometimes used lemon curd. Lemon curd reminds me of lemon pudding but has a more intense taste of lemon. Plus, the consistency is a little thicker than lemon pudding. I added lemon curd to Greek yogurt and mascarpone cheese to create a rich flavor of lemon and subtle tartness to the parfait.

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Parfaits are all about layering.  Lemon Berry Parfait consists of layers of Greek yogurt, berries soaked in limoncello and granola.  Pull them all together and you will have a light, bright, refreshing dessert that takes only minutes to create.

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Lemon Berry Parfait

Ingredients:
16 oz Greek yogurt
8 oz mascarpone cheese
1 pint raspberries
1 pint blackberries
10 oz jar Dickinson’s lemon curd
2 tbsp sugar
½ cup limoncello liqueur
½ cup granola

Place berries in a medium bowl and add limoncello liqueur and sugar. Gently smash berries and then stir to mix sugar and limoncello. Set aside.

In a large bowl add yogurt, mascarpone cheese and lemon curd. Mix together until well blended.

Place two spoonfuls of yogurt mix in the bottom of a parfait glass. Add a layer of fruit then granola. Repeat each layer ending with fruit. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 – 3 hours before serving.

Banana Blueberry Pudding Dessert

Desserts, Fruits, ,

banana blueberry pudding dessert 6_1

And the winner is…………… Banana Blueberry Pudding Dessert! As I have said in the past, I am not really a baker. So, I have to come up with other simple desserts to satisfy the sweet tooth of my family whenever there is a craving for dessert. Although we usually keep chocolate in the house we do not eat dessert every night. Dessert is something I fix on special occasions or when we invite guests over for dinner.

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Since starting the recipe blog I have spent a little more time trying to come up with desserts that are not too heavy or fattening. I like bananas but they tend to get ripe too quickly for me and then I don’t know what to do with them. Recently, I was wondering what I could do with a bunch of bananas I had laying around. Years ago I tried making banana pudding but it did not come out the way I wanted. I gave up after that.

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Fast forward to 2014. With ripe bananas calling out for me to give it one more try, I decided to make a new version of banana pudding. Instead of using vanilla wafers I found it easier to buy a Nilla pie crust and add blueberries to the dessert. The combination of bananas, blueberries and vanilla pudding is wonderful! My son, who is my number one food tester, (hubby is #2) thought this was a nice dessert.

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I love it when my fiercest critics tell me a recipe tastes really good. That is when I know I can share it with you……

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Banana Blueberry Pudding Dessert

Ingredients:

1 box Jello vanilla pudding mix (cook & serve)

2 Nilla pie crusts

1 pint fresh blueberries

5 small ripe bananas sliced

1- 9 inch pie plate or casserole dish

cooking spray

Prepare pudding according to package.

Spray pie plate with cooking spray. Crumble pie crusts in a large bowl then press all but ½ cup of the crumbs into the bottom of the pie plate. Place a layer of bananas over the crust. Sprinkle with blueberries. Pour cooled pudding over blueberries. Layer the remaining bananas over the pudding and sprinkle with remaining crumbled pie crust. Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Peach Blueberry Crumble

Desserts, Fruits,

Peach Blueberry Crumble 12_1

This blog is dedicated to my friend B. and her hubby. Recently, B. and I were talking about some of my recipes and she said she was looking for an easy dessert. I told her about my mom’s mouth watering pies but it seems her hubby doesn’t eat pie so she was looking for a dessert that did not require a crust.

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Unlike my mom, I am not much of a baker. Which in some ways is good because I like to eat and if I was a great pastry chef I would be in trouble always tasting my creations. Still, I have learned how to make simple desserts that are tasty and not really fattening.

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Peach blueberry crumble is a light version of both a peach cobbler and a blueberry cobbler. I love both types of cobblers especially peach cobbler. During the summer months fresh peaches and blueberries are plentiful, sweet and juicy. This is the best time of year to try out fresh fruit desserts and experiment with the different flavors fruits provide since there are so many varieties available.

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I thought it would be nice to bring two of my favorite summer fruits together into one simple dish. The first time I made this dessert I used only one type of peach. However, it is even better when you use a mixture of white peaches and regular peaches. Blueberries are blueberries so use what you find.

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This dessert can be made as one big dessert or as an individual dessert in ramekins based on who you are serving. No matter how big or small you make it I think you will have a nice light sweet dessert that everyone can enjoy.

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Guess what B.! No crust!!

 Peach Blueberry Crumble

Ingredients:
4 ramekins
4 large peaches
1 pint of blueberries
½ stick cold butter cubed
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¾ cup flour
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup oats
½ cup sugar + 4 tbsp sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray cooking spray in each ramekin or a casserole dish.  Peel peaches and place in a bowl along with blueberries. Sprinkle 4 tbsp of sugar and lemon zest over fruit. Blend together then place mixture evenly in each ramekin.

Combine remaining ingredients in bowl and cut butter into the dry ingredients until only little bits of butter are visible. Top each ramekin with the crumble mixture. Place ramekins on a cookie sheet. Cover with foil and bake 5 minute. Remove the foil and bake for 25 additional minutes. Let cool slightly and serve.

You can double the recipe and place in a casserole dish if you do not want to make individual sized dishes.

Chocolate Cherry Bomb

Desserts,

Chocolate Cherry Bomb Fini 4

 

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As a kid, I remember watching my mom having fun cooking and baking for anyone with an appetite. One of my first ventures into “cooking” was making chocolate pudding. Not the instant chocolate pudding most folks get to cut down on time but the slow cooking chocolate pudding from Jello. I think Jello was a staple in our house and may still be found on my mom’s kitchen shelf. I loved standing over the stove and stirring the milk and pudding mix until it was thick and creamy. The best part was licking the spoon after filling several little flowered juice glasses with the pudding. Sometimes my mom would let me get real fancy and put whipped cream on top of the chocolate pudding.

Chocolate Cherry Bomb Fini 1

My chocolate cherry bomb dessert is the grown up version of my fancy childhood chocolate pudding. Chocolate pudding is still the star of the dessert but it is supported by cherries and cookie crumbs. Sometimes when my husband and I have a few friends over for dinner we like to get them involved in the kitchen. Preparing this dessert is an easy way to do that since it takes less than an hour to make and you can create an assembly line to pull each layer together. This dessert is sure to bring back lots of memories of sticky chocolate covered faces and laughter. Whether you serve this dessert chilled or warm it will get a thumbs up!

Thumbs Up

 

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Chocolate Cherry Bomb

Ingredients:
1 can cherry pie filling
1 chocolate graham cracker crust
1 large box chocolate pudding cook & serve
1 cup cold heavy cream
8 ounces Italian Mascarpone cheese
½ cup sugar
¼ cup coffee liqueur
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
8 individual dessert glasses

Prepare chocolate pudding according to the package. Let cool slightly. Crumble graham cracker crust in a bowl. Place a layer of crumbled graham cracker in the bottom of each glass. Press down lightly to create a crust. Spread a layer of chocolate pudding over each crust then add a layer of cherry pie filling over the chocolate pudding.

In a mixing bowl combine the heavy cream, mascarpone cheese, sugar, coffee liqueur, cocoa powder and vanilla. Combine mixture on a low speed then gradually increase speed until firm peaks are formed. Top each dessert with the whipped cream. Garnish with any remaining graham cracker crust, chocolate shavings or chocolate covered cherries. Cover with clear wrap.  Serve chilled or warm.

Optional:
Try flavored liqueurs with hints of orange, nuts or cherries.

 

Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Desserts,

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Okay, I know my general philosophy for fixing food is “healthy, quick and easy”. But sometimes you have to try quick, easy and tasty. Stuffed chocolate chip cookies are quick and easy to make and definitely tasty. This is one of those desserts you can get the kids to help you make and gives them something fun to do.

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The first time I made my Chocolate Cherry Bomb dessert I found I had a lot of whipped topping left over and did not want to waste it. So I tried to come up with something that would pair well with the chocolaty coffee flavors in the topping. I remembered a cake dessert my daughter-in-law likes to fix with chocolate chip cookies and thought I could simplify it into an individual dessert or snack.

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If you have time to make a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies, go for it! If you are short on time or you do not like to bake, you can always find homemade style chocolate chip cookies at the grocery store or farmer’s market. Stuffing the cookies is easy. Just put a spoonful of whipped topping on a chocolate chip cookie and smooth it out to the edges of the cookie. Place another chocolate chip cookie on top and you have made your first stuffed chocolate chip cookie. This is so easy you can get your kids to stuff the cookies as long as you trust them with a butter knife. Refrigerate the cookies in a plastic container to keep them fresh.

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Try making this quick, easy and tasty treat the next time you have a picnic or it’s your turn to bring dessert to a party. I bet the only thing leftover are the crumbs!

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Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
2 dozen homemade chocolate chip cookies
1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
8 oz mascarpone cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp coffee liqueur
2 tbsp unsweetened chocolate powder
½ cup sugar

In a large bowl whip together heavy whipping cream, mascarpone cheese, vanilla, sugar, chocolate powder and liqueur. Start out on a low speed to mix and gradually increase speed to high. Whip until mixture is firm and forms peaks.

Add a spoonful of whip topping to the flat side of one cookie. Spread evenly over cookie and then place another cookie on top of the filling flat side down to form a sandwich. Repeat until all the cookies are assembled and enjoy!