Category Archives: Desserts

Desserts

Oatmeal & almond stuffed baked apples.

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It’s fall and that means it’s apple season.  Who doesn’t love this time of year?  I know, I’m a total fall fan.  Crisp air, apples, pumpkins… unlimited recipe ideas!  Tonight I wanted to make something other than a crisp or pie with some apples.  I threw some ingredients together and it already smells heavenly.

Ingredients:

4 medium sized apples of your choice
5 tablespoons of butter, melted
1 cup of oats
4 teaspoons of maple syrup or agave
2 tablespoons of light brown sugar
1/2 cups of nuts, your choice – walnuts, pecans or almonds work beautifully
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  In a 8×8 or 9×9  baking dish add water to come up the side about 1/2 of an inch.  Set aside.

Slice the top of the apple off and then make a well or bowl by removing the inner part of the apple.  Be sure not to break the outer flesh or the bottom of the apple.  I use my apple corer to do this slowly.  Reserve the apple you remove and chop it up into a coarse texture.  Set aside.

Into a mixing bowl add the butter, oats, syrup, brown sugar, nuts, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Add the apple that you removed earlier.  Mix well.  Spoon the mixture into the hollowed out portion of each apple.  Then gently set the apples into your prepared pan.  Bake for 1 hour.  Remove and serve immediately.

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Hummus.

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Hummus doesn’t always have to be savory.  My kids love it and let’s face it… it’s better than a cookie for a snack.  This creamy hummus will captivate the youngest of taste buds and have them coming back for more.  Easy recipe, unbelievable flavor.  Great for your next party!

Ingredients:

1 can of drained and rinsed garbanzo beans
1/2 cup of all natural peanut butter
1/4 cup of maple syrup, agave or honey
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt
1/3 cup of dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Into your food processor or Vitamix, blend the first 5 ingredients until smooth.  Then by hand stir in the chocolate chips.  Serve with graham crackers, apple slices or cinnamon and sugar tortilla chips.

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Coconutty Chocolate Chip Granola Bites.

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Back to reality and Monday is here again!  It is so sunny outside and absolutely gorgeous yet I’m still plagued with a bit of allergies.  What would make me feel better?  Chocolate!  Yes!  Toasted Coconut?  YES!   So I went tearing through my pantry and came up with some lovely ingredients and knew what I had to do.  I made these bars last year during swim season and my kids loved them, and admittedly, so did I.  I hate buying granola bars at the store because they’re filled with preservatives and other ingredients that I can’t identify.  So… I made these beauties.

And yes, they are as good as they look!

Ingredients:

1 cup of almond, peanut or whatever nut butter you prefer
1.5 tablespoons of coconut oil
1/2 cup of honey, maple syrup or agave
2 eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
3 cups of rolled oats
1/2 cup of toasted coconut flakes
1/4 cup of light brown sugar
1 tablespoon of chia seeds (optional)
1 tablespoon of flax seed meal.
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup of chocolate chips (white chocolate, butterscotch or toffee chips would also work)
1/2 cup of toasted coconut flakes

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line your 9×9 pan with parchment paper with the paper hanging over so they are easily removed from the pan.  Set aside.

Melt your nut butter in the microwave.  Once melted, add the coconut oil and stir to combine.  Add this mixture to your stand mixer with the paddle attachment.  Add all of the remaining ingredients through the salt.  Add the chocolate chips or whatever chips you use at the end so they aren’t broken and crushed from the mixing process.

Press the mixture firmly down into the baking pan.  Sprinkle the coconut flakes on top and spread out evenly.  Then bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until lightly golden.  Let cool completely before cutting.  This will allow the bars to keep their shape.  Store in a covered container for up to one week, if they last that long.

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Almond and Pear Tart.

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Today is my 16th wedding anniversary.  I won’t lie, my husband is the most wonderful, calm, loving and hysterical man I know.  He makes me a better person, hands down.  I thought I would whip up a lovely dinner to share with our family before we leave on our weekend getaway.  This was my dessert idea.  He loves fruit, is allergic to chocolate and I had some pears that were getting overly ripe.  This tart turned out beautifully.  I topped it with my caramel that I made a few days ago and I’m drooling already.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of raw almonds
1/2 cup of white sugar
Turbinado sugar or regular sugar for dusting
1/3 cup of all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur’s)
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons of butter, melted
2 eggs
1/4 cup of almond milk (vanilla flavored)
3 large pears, cored and peeled
Lemon juice
1 teaspoon of almond extract

Directions:

Spray your tart pan with the removable bottom with baking/flour spray and set aside.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a food processor, blender or Vitamix, combine almonds and sugar together and blend until it resembles flour.  Add the flour and salt and blend again.  To a smaller bowl, add butter, milk and eggs.  Whisk and then pour into the flour mixture.  Blend again.

Thinly slice your pears and drizzle a bit of lemon juice over top to prevent browning.

Pour the mixture into your prepared pan.   Lay the pears over the top of the mixture in a fan pattern.  Place the tart pan on a cookie sheet and then into the oven.  Bake for 45-50 minutes or until lightly golden.  Remove and let cool.  Optional:  top with caramel sauce.

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Sea Salt Caramel Sauce.

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Okay I don’t know about you, but one of my hand’s down weaknesses… sea salt caramel. I could eat my body weight in it if I had to.  In fact when I made this, I knew it was nuclear hot and I still put a spoon in my mouth to try it!  Ha ha!  Lunatic, yes, I know!

Ingredients:

1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of water
6 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
Sea Salt

Directions:

Okay, first step first.  Collect all of your ingredients and place them right next to your stove.

In a heavy stock pot (3 quarts or so), add your water and sugar over a medium-high flame.  More so to the higher side of the flame.  Whisk until the sugar melts and the mixture starts to boil. This takes a few minutes due to the water having to evaporate.  Once it boils, stop whisking and literally stand there and watch it.  The sugar mixture will turn amber – once a medium golden amber color, add the butter (it will bubble up so be mindful) and whisk until it melts.  Once the butter has melted, remove from the flame.  Add the cream and again, be mindful this mixture will foam up again.  Whisk until the caramel looks smooth and creamy – 30 seconds or so.  Let the sauce settle for 2 minutes.  Sprinkle with sea salt and then pour into a glass jar that you can seal with a lid once the mixture has cooled.  Avoid dipping a spoon into this molten lava mixture or you may fry your tongue!  I speak from which I know.  Ha ha.

 

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Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cookies.

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I had to make my pumpkin oatmeal cookies with these Hershey Kiss Pumpkin Spice kisses.  One of those things just know in your heart.  Ha ha.  These cookies have more of a cake-like light texture.  This recipes makes a ton of cookies.  So delish and perfect with some hot apple cider on a chilly fall day.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour (King Arthur’s)
1/2 cup of whole wheat flour (King Arthur’s)
1 1/2 cups of oats
 1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup of butter, room temperature
3/4 cup of light brown sugar
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1 tablespoon flax seed meal
1 cup of pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 cup of chocolate chips (optional)
1 bag of Hershey Pumpkin Pie Spice Kisses


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line your cookie sheets with parchment or a baking mat.  In a large mixing bowl combine the flours, oats, soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a bowl.  In your stand mixer, paddle attached, blend butter and sugars.  Once fluffy, add the flax, pumpkin, egg and vanilla.  Beat well.  Then add the flour mixture to the stand mixer and blend.  By hand add the chocolate chips, if using.  Drop with a scoop onto your cookie sheet and bake for 13-15 minutes.

While baking, remove the wrappers from the Kisses.  Once you remove the cookies from the oven, gently put the Kiss on top and push (lightly) down.  Let cool.  Serve.


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Candy Corn Marshmallow People.

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I made these last year and they were a total hit.  I shared the on my blog and on Facebook and they have shown up as a guest on many other blogs.  I needed to make more and take a better photo of these cuties.  I made these super-sized.  These are the jumbo marshmallows but this recipe works well with the regular size as well.

Ingredients:

1 bag of marshmallows
8 ounces of white chocolate
Vegetable oil
Yellow food coloring
Orange food coloring
Black gel icing tube

Directions:

In a double boiler, melt your chocolate and add a splash (1/2 tsp or so) of vegetable oil to help the chocolate not to seize up.  Once completely melted, pour half into one bowl and half into another.  Add food coloring to one bowl and then the other color to the other bowl. Give a good stir so the dye is throughout.  Dip your marshmallow in the orange first about 1/3 of the way up and then set on some parchment paper.  Proceed throughout the marshmallows doing the orange.  Then repeat, only lower, with the yellow.  Set on parchment. Then do the eyes with the gel tube. Avoid putting too much of a dot for the eyes or they will drip.  Enjoy!

 

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Sweet Pumpkin Hummus.

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Hummus doesn’t always have to be savory.  I whipped this little dish up last fall, of course, pumpkin inspired, and I had to make it again.  I just love it!  My kids love it too with sliced apples.  In fact, I have it all ready for them when they get home from school.  Great snack and so healthy!  You have to give this one a whirl.

Ingredients:

1 -15oz can of chickpeas, drained and washed
1 heaping cup of pumpkin puree
1/4c nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew)
2 tbl canola oil
2 tbl maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp honey
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp of freshly grated ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Blend it all in your food processor until hummus consistency. Serve with apples, crackers, graham crackers, gingersnaps etc.

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Mock Brownie Bites Enrobed in Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt.

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These little mock brownie bites are a chocolatier take-off of my energy bites.  I wanted to make these taste a bit more brownie-like but avoiding the bad fats and calories associated with regular brownies.  Plus, these are bite-sized and perfect for kids after-school snacks or for their lunches.  I topped these with a dash of sea salt and they are in one word… heavenly!  Perfect at room temperature or frozen.

Ingredients:

1 c almonds, toasted
16 pitted Medjool dates, pitted
4 tbl of good quality cocoa
3 tbl of dark chocolate chips (optional)
1 tablespoon of agave or honey
1/8th tsp of salt
8 ounces of dark chocolate to melt
Sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place the almonds on a cookie sheet and bake for 6 minutes.  Add the almonds to your processor and blend until you have fine chunks of almond.  Then add the next ingredients through the 1/8th tsp of salt to your food processor and blend until a large mass forms.  Break it up and process again until it it is well blended.  Form into bite size balls (using a scoop) and place on a platter.

Over a double boiler, melt the dark chocolate.  Once completely melted, drop a bite into the chocolate and coat.  Remove with a fork, allowing the chocolate excess to drain back into the bowl.  Place on the platter and sprinkle with a touch of sea salt.  Repeat.

Freeze for 30 minutes until the chocolate firms.  Serve and enjoy!

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Cake Batter Chocolate Frozen Bananas.

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Okay that title is a mouthful and so are these!  I whipped up a batch for my kids and they were gone faster than a speeding bullet!  Ha!  So easy.  So much fun.  The perfect way to welcome your kids home from a long day at school.   Guaranteed to put a smile on anyone’s face :)

Ingredients:

12 ounces of chocolate (you can do white, milk or dark)
2 tablespoons of Funfetti cake batter (powder)
Vegetable oil
2 whole bananas, peeled and halved
4 popsicle sticks
Sprinkles

Directions:

Pull out a platter or large plate and cover with parchment or foil.  Set aside.

Over a double boiler, melt your chocolate of choice.  Slowly start to stir the chocolate until melted.  Add the cake batter powder and mix.  At this point, add a small amount of the oil. This will loosen the chocolate up and make it easier for covering the bananas.  Add tiny amounts until you get to the right consistency.  I probably used about a tablespoon or a bit less.

Take your sticks and insert them cautiously into the larger end of the banana.  Then take a spoon and pour the chocolate over the banana.  Coat with sprinkles and set on a parchment lined plate and freeze.  Serve right out of the freezer, nice and cold.

Then step back!  :)

 

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