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Category Archives: Dessert


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Zucchini Brownies

Folks, I’ve found my all-time favorite brownie. And they’re made with zucchini. It may sound gross at first, but trust me… this is one fantastic brownie. Part of me wishes I hadn’t ever made these, because now I can’t stop eating them, making them, or thinking about them.

Still not convinced that these are rock-star brownies? Well, remember this – I really don’t like chocolate. Or desserts. So, the fact that I like love these should be reason enough for you to grab some zukes and get bakin’!

Zucchini Brownies
makes 15 brownies 

For the brownie:
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chocolate chips or walnuts, optional

For the frosting:
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan with butter and dust with cocoa powder.
  2. In large bowl, mix together applesauce, sugar, and vanilla until well combined.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Gently stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips or walnuts, if desired.
  4. Spread batter evenly into baking pan. Be warned – the batter at this stage is very hard and crumbly and not batter-like at all.
  5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until brownies spring back when touched. Set pan aside to cool.
  6. To make frosting, microwave butter and cocoa until melted. Stir to combine and set aside to cool. In large bowl, mix together powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Mix in cocoa mixture until frosting is smooth.
  7. Spread frosting over cooled brownies and cut into squares.

Recipe adapted from All Recipes


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Peanut Butter Pie for Mikey

No, not for my Mike, but for food blogger Jennie from In Jennie’s Kitchen‘s Mikey. He passed away suddenly from a heart attack a few days ago. Jennie posted a tribute to her husband and asked everyone to make a peanut butter pie in honor of him on Friday and “share it with someone you love. Then hug them like there’s no tomorrow because today is the only guarantee we can count on.”

So, here it is. I made the peanut butter pie. And for the first time, I didn’t mess with the recipe.

Peanut Butter Pie
from In Jennie’s Kitchen

8 ounces chocolate cookies (16 chocolate graham crackers put me at just over 8 ounces)
4 tablespoons butter, melted
4 ounces finely chopped chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup creamy-style peanut butter
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

  1. Add the cookies to the bowl of a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs.  Combine melted butter and cookie crumbs in a small bowl, and stir with a fork to mix well.  Press mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
  2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave.  Pour over bottom of cookie crust and spread to the edges using an off-set spatula.  Sprinkle chopped peanuts over the melted chocolate. Place pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
  3. Pour the heavy cream into a bowl and beat using a stand mixer or hand mixer until stiff peaks form.  Transfer to a small bowl and store in refrigerator until ready to use.  Place the cream cheese and peanut butter in a deep bowl.  Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioner’s sugar.  Add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Increase speed to medium and beat until all the ingredients are combined and filling is smooth.
  4. Stir in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the filling mixture (helps lighten the batter, making it easier to fold in the remaining whipped cream).  Fold in the remaining whipped cream.  Pour the filling into the prepared springform pan.  Drizzle the melted chocolate on top, if using, and refrigerate for three hours or overnight before serving.


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Peach Cake

I bought 3 peaches with the intention of making a dessert of some sort. I had no idea what dessert I wanted to make; all I knew is that those peaches looked good. And I needed them.

They sat in fridge while I looked and looked for a recipe that sounded good. A few days later, I paged across a Fresh Peach Cake recipe in Food Network Magazine. Bingo. This cake was awesome – moist and not-too-sweet with a perfect crunchy topping. I’ll definitely be making this one again!!

Fresh Peach Cake
adapted from Food Network Magazine, June 2011

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large ripe peaches
1/2 cup chopped pecans

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9 inch square baking pan.
  2. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Dunk peaches into boiling water for 20 seconds. Remove and plunge into ice water. Slip skins off peaches. Remove pit and slice into 1/4″ slices.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fit with the paddle attachment, beat butter and 1 cup sugar for 3 – 5 minutes on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy.
  4. With mixer on low,  add eggs one at a time. Mix in sour cream, yogurt and vanilla and beat until smooth.
  5. In separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients slowly to batter with mixer on low. Mix until just combined.
  6. In small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
  7. Spread half the batter into prepared pan. Top with half the peaches. Sprinkle with 2/3 of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Spread remaining batter on top of peaches. Arrange remaining peaches on top and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar and the pecans.
  8. Bake for 45 – 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
  9. Serve warm or at room temperature.


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Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

I can’t help myself. Every time I go to the store, I buy strawberries. Walking through the farmers’ market is dangerous. I buy strawberries. I just love strawberries!!! I love them in salads, I love them in cakes, and now I love them in cupcakes!

This was inspired by one of Mike’s favorite summertime drinks – strawberry lemonade. I wanted a cupcake that echoed the taste of strawberry lemonade – sweet, but tart, and really refreshing.

I think this one really hit the spot. I found a recipe on  Annie’s Eats and modified it to suit my tastes. I love this! Be warned – the more strawberry and lemon you put in, the runnier the icing will be. I ended up with 5 teaspoons of lemon juice and the whole half cup of strawberries in my frosting. I wanted the flavor in there. I paid for it with runnier frosting. Worth it 🙂

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
makes 12 cupcakes

For the cupcake:
1 cup and 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
3/4 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and diced

For the syrup:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons powdered sugar

For the frosting:
½ cup fresh strawberries
6 ounces cream cheese
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 2/3 cup powdered sugar
4 teaspoons lemon juice

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line cupcake pan with 12 paper liners.
  2. In medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Stir together and set aside.
  3. In large bowl, beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add sugar and beat until well combined. Beat in egg, scraping in sides, until well combined.
  4. Add half the flour mixture and beat on low until just incorporated. Mix in milk until smooth. Add remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in strawberries.
  5. Divide batter evenly into paper lines, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
  6. Once cupcakes have cooled, whisk together lemon juice and powdered sugar for the syrup, until well combined.
  7. Poke holes into cupcakes with a skewer (I used a chopstick) and pour the syrup over the cupcakes, allowing it to soak in.
  8. To make frosting, puree strawberries in a food processor or blender and set aside. Beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add in powdered sugar until smooth. Add lemon juice and vanilla extract until incorporated. Mix in strawberry puree a little at a time until desired consistency and flavor is reached.
  9. Frost cupcakes and serve immediately or keep refrigerated.


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Silken Chocolate Pie

After I made brownies, strawberry shortcake cake, and a French silk pie, I worried that I wouldn’t have enough dessert for Mike’s birthday bash. My main concern? Those that wanted the French silk pie but couldn’t eat it because it contained raw eggs. I hate the thought of any one leaving disappointed, so I caved in and made this egg-free pie. Please give it a chance. It’s deliciously rich and chocolatey and the texture is to die for. When I served it, I refused to tell people what was in it. It was only after they tried it and liked it that I told them the secret ingredient: tofu. Tofu itself is pretty tasteless and bland. Silken tofu has a remarkable texture that blends itself beautifully with just about anything. Smoothies? You got it! Soups? Sure, why not! Chocolate? You know it!! Silken Chocolate Pie
serves 10

9 full chocolate graham crackers
6 tablespoons butter, melted
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup coffee, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound silken tofu, drained well (my package was 1 pound, 3 ounces – it worked)
1 tablespoon honey, or to taste

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Pulse graham crackers in food processor until fine crumbs. Slowly add in butter and blend until combined. Press into bottom of a 9” cake pan. Bake until crust no longer looks wet, 18 – 20 minutes.
  2. Place chocolate chips, coffee and vanilla in double boiler and melt, stirring frequently. Or, place ingredients in microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 20 second increments until melted, stirring after each increment.  Let cool slightly.
  3. Place tofu, chocolate mixture, and honey in food processor and blend until smooth.
  4. Pour filling into crust and refrigerate until filling is firm, about 2 hours.
  5. Serve with a dollop of freshly made whipped cream.

Please don’t ever ever ever buy whipped cream from the store. It’s oh-so-easy to make yourself and it tastes so much better. I forgot to take pictures of the whipped cream, but you can kind of see it on the bottom of the pic. Oops.

Whipped Cream

2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  1. Place metal mixing bowl and whisk attachment to mixer in freezer for 15 minutes.
  2. Whip cream in chilled bowl until soft peaks form (this is when they can’t quite hold itself into a peak).
  3. Add in vanilla and sugar and beat until stiff peaks form (this is when they can stay in peak shape).

See, easy! The whole whipping process only took 2 minutes in my stand mixer. It may take a bit longer with a hand mixer. The most important part is making sure that your bowl and whisk are cold!!


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Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp

I love fruit crisps. They’re pretty idiot-proof, meaning I don’t need to rely on a recipe to make it taste good. I was so excited to use the first batch of rhubarb that my in laws’ garden yielded*, especially since the rhubarb that we transplanted into our garden was looking pretty pitiful.

I kept waiting for a nice day so I could take good pictures, but Wisconsin decided to rain on my parade. Literally. Our sump pump has been running 24/7 and our yard is a lake. We now have water-front property, folks.

I love the simplicity of this recipe – it takes so little effort and time, and it’s so delicious!

Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp
makes 9 servings 

Filling:
4 cups chopped rhubarb
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved
1/2 cup sugar

Topping:
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, melted

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Mix filling ingredients together and let sit.
  3. Meanwhile, mix dry ingredients of topping together. Pour in butter and stir until large crumbs form.
  4. Pour filling into an 8.5″ square pan and top evenly with topping.
  5. Bake 40 minutes, or until done.
  6. Eat as soon as it’s cool enough to shovel into your mouth.

*Grass may or may not have made its way into this dish. I will neither deny nor confirm this. I kid. I think I picked most of it out from the rhubarb 😉


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Cherry Coffee Cake

I set out looking for dishes I could make for Easter brunch. I found this one in one of the old cookbooks and couldn’t resist. I opted to use frozen tart cherries instead of blueberries though, since that’s what we had on hand. The cherries were picked by my in-laws during the summer and I thought that they would be perfect in coffee cake!

Here’s a snapshot of the original recipe:

Here’s the recipe with my modifications:

Cherry Coffee Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 cups tart cherries, pitted
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon sugar

For the topping:
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup butter, room temperature

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 13×9 pan with nonstick spray.
  2. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl.
  3. In medium bowl, cream butter until smooth. Gradually add sugar and continue creaming until fluffy. Add egg, beating well.
  4. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk, mixing after each addition until just smooth.
  5. In small bowl, combine cherries, 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon sugar. Gently fold in cherries to batter.
  6. Spread batter into greased pan.
  7. To make topping: combine all dry ingredients and cut in butter until mixture in crumbly.*
  8. Sprinkle topping evenly over coffee cake and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes and enjoy!!
*I couldn’t find my pastry cutter and I never quite mastered the technique of cutting with a forks and/or knives, so I just used my fingers. I rubbed the butter into the dry ingredients until they became crumbly. It was pretty quick and easy!


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Crunchy Caramel Popcorn

Caramel popcorn is one of my favorite foods. We had some around the house, but they were drizzled in one of my least favorite foods – chocolate. After staring at the bag for weeks, having it taunt me, I decided to make some of my own (untainted) caramel corn.

This stuff was seriously delicious. How delicious? It disappeared in 3 days. And this was a LOT of popcorn. Granted, I was kind enough to share with my in-laws and my parents and brother, but I was still in a sugar coma.

I will definitely make this again. Mike and I had a blast doing this together. Combining my two loves (husband and cooking) was a win for sure. Ok, three loves (can’t forget the dogs!) – the pups may have had a few pieces of plain popcorn. And by a few a mean a few handfuls 😉

Crunchy Caramel Popcorn

3/4 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 quarts air-popped popcorn

  1. Preheat oven to 250°F. Line three baking pans with foil.
  2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Allow to boil, unstirred, for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla.
  3. Pour popcorn onto baking pans, dividing evenly between three pans.
  4. Pour caramel in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat.
  5. Bake in preheated oven for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Stir gently, breaking up large pieces. Serve immediately or store in air-tight container.

Tips for clean up – soak the pot and utensils in hot water. The syrup will melt right off and there will be minimal scrubbing required. The foil in the pans will give you a quick, easy clean up. Just crumple up and toss!


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Chocolate Walnut Biscotti

My mom requested one thing from me for Christmas – biscotti. I didn’t make it (oops). She requested one thing from me for her birthday – biscotti. I made it 🙂

I used a different recipe this time, one without any butter. When I first started mixing everything together, I was unsure if it would turn out. I mean, the only ‘glue’ in the recipe are the eggs. To my surprise, the ingredients came together beautifully. You will want to arm yourself with a lot of flour though, and I mean a lot. Flour your surfaces when you roll out the biscotti very, very thoroughly. This is one sticky dough. I floured my hands well and the dough still stuck. Don’t worry, the results are completely worth it. These had the perfect snap and they’re great with coffee! *

Chocolate Walnut Biscotti
adapted from joyofbaking.com

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts, chopped

  1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
  2. In a food processor, blend chocolate and brown sugar together until chocolate is very fine.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, coffee granules, baking soda and salt.
  4. In a large bowl, beat eggs and vanilla with an electric mixer until combined, about 30 seconds.
  5. Add in dry ingredients and beat until a stiff dough forms. Stir in walnuts.
  6. Generously flour work surface and hands. Divide dough in half and roll each half into a log about 10 inches long and 3 inches wide. Place onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, about 3 – 4 inches apart.
  7. Bake for 35 minutes, or until firm to touch. Remove from oven and let cook in pan for 10 minutes.
  8. Using a long spatula, move logs to cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the dough into slices 3/4-inch thick on the diagonal.
  9. Arrange slices cut side down and bake for 15 minutes. Turn slices over and bake an additional 15 minutes.
  10. Remove from oven and let cool completely before storing in an air-tight container.

*Ok, you got me. I’m not a coffee drinker. But, Mike says that they tasted pretty darn good with it. Me? I ate it plain. And I liked it.


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Raspberry Oatmeal Bars

I’m not a huge chocolate fan, but fruity desserts are some of my favorites. And there’s nothing like some oatmeal in a dessert to make it seem a little healthier…

If only, right??

These bars were a hit – the first pan disappeared in just a little over a day. They are definitely in my “keep” recipe pile.

Raspberry Oatmeal Bars
from allrecipes.com

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup instant oatmeal
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup raspberry jam

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 8 inch square pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
  2. Combine brown sugar, flour, baking soda, and oatmeal. Rub in butter with your fingers until crumbly. Press  3/4 of mixture into bottom of pan.
  3. Warm jam up slightly in microwave. Spread over crumb layer in pan. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture on top, gently pressing into the jam.
  4. Bake for 35 minutes in oven, or until lightly browned. Let cool before cutting into squares.