Perfect Rhubarb Pie

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Pies, Pastry and tagged with dessert, grated orange zest, pastry, pie, pie pastry recipe, recipe, rhubarb, springtime July 18, 2014

Perfect Rhubarb Pie

This is a recipe that was back in the archives, but is so darn good that I think it’s worth bring it back again. I made the pie last weekend and took some new photos. This is the best rhubarb pie I have ever had, for two reasons; it’s not runny when you cut it, and the flavor is unique. You must see for yourself.

Rosy, tart, beautiful rhubarb.

Ah, rhubarb, sweet rhubarb! (just kidding, of course) I’ve never tasted anything so tart in my life, and yet I LOVE it. I can’t let a spring season go by without baking something with it. The most popular item I make is rhubarb pie–Mr. D’s favorite kind of pie; but I’ve also been known to make cobbler, rhubarb muffins and sweet bread. Last weekend I made the can’t-wait-to taste-it rhubarb pie. Try it served with a little vanilla ice-cream along side and you will hear angels singing.

I call this “perfect” rhubarb pie, because it just melts in your mouth. I’ve discovered that adding some orange zest and nutmeg brings out the flavor of rhubarb, without going overboard in the sugar department. In my opinion, too much sugar just makes it taste sweet, and obscures the flavor of the rhubarb, which is what this pie is all about.

We like it a little tart, so when I make it just for us, I use only 1 cup of sugar. The recipe given here is for 1 1/2 cups which I feel is quite sweet, but you can surely adjust the sugar to suit your taste. I use quick-cooking tapioca and flour as thickeners; and I also add an egg which helps bind the ingredients and keep the pie from becoming overly juicy. When baking, I place the pie on a small baking sheet such as a pizza pan in case it runs over, but really, with this recipe that never seems to happen.

PERFECT RHUBARB PIE

Yield: Serves 8

Ingredients:

Perfect Rhubarb Pie

4 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb, cut into 1/2 – 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon quick-cooking tapioca
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 egg
1 teaspoon water
1 tablespoon butter

Pie pastry for a 2-crust 9 inch pie. You may want to use a refrigerated pie crust from the grocery store, or prepare your favorite pastry recipe.

This is a pie pastry recipe that I have success with:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable shortening
7-8 tablespoons ice water

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, tapioca, orange zest and nutmeg. Stir in rhubarb; let mixture stand while you make the crust.

Prepare pastry: In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut shortening into flour until pieces are the size of small peas.Sprinkle 2 tablespoons water over part of the flour mixture and stir gently with a fork. Push moistened dough to the side of the bowl. Repeat using 1 tablespoon ice water at a time using the 7-8 tablespoons total, until all the dough is moistened.Gather dough up into a ball and divide in half. Roll each half into a 11-12 inch circle, for bottom and top crusts. Place one crust in a 9-inch pie dish. Cut decorative slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape while baking.

2. Combine egg and water, mixing lightly with a fork. Add to rhubarb mixture, and stir to combine. Spoon into pastry-lined pie dish. Dot with butter.

Add egg mixed with a little water to the sugared rhubarb.

3. Cover with top crust. Trim crust and crimp edges. Lightly brush top crust with a little milk or light cream, then sprinkle with coarse sugar for a nice browned top.

Brush top crust with a little milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar..

4. Cover edges with foil to prevent over browning. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil from edges, and bake another 30 minutes, until browned and filling is bubbly.

No runny pie here!

SOURCE: Originally from a vintage cook book in my collection, with modifications by yours truly .

Blueberry Crumb Bars

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Desserts and tagged with Blueberries, crumb bars, dessert, fruit dessert, fruits, recipe June 27, 2014

Blueberry Crumb Bars

Summertime desserts seem to fall into three major categories: cool, frozen concoctions, no-bake pies and such, and fresh fruit delights. Today’s recipe falls into the latter group.

Right about now I’m seeing blueberries appearing at the supermarket that are coming to us from California. It’s still too early for East Coast berries to make their appearance, but blueberries hold up fairly well and those arriving here from the West coast are looking good. Although I missed making these bars for Memorial Day, they are good anytime at all, and perhaps for July 4th. The reason I say that is because with their blue color from the berries and light crumb topping, they have a patriotic color theme, and they certainly speak of summer.

These bars are ridiculously good. They are the sort that will make you want to eat the whole pan, and then moan at how good they were. Having tried the recipe as written using blueberries, I would feel confident in changing up the fruit and using a different berry, or in the fall, using sliced apples with brown sugar instead of granulated. This is just what I love, a really good recipe that lets you try it different ways and never lets you down. Whooo-Hoo!

From my experience with making these bars, I have two suggestions: use a little more than half the dough mixture for the bottom layer, the bars will cut better and the berries won’t leak through to the bottom. Also, if your berries are a little tart, you may want to add an additional tablespoon of sugar to the berries.

BLUEBERRY CRUMB BARS

Yield: 15 servings

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour, or half white flour, and half whole wheat
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
a pinch of cinnamon
1 cup shortening or butter
1 egg
3 teaspoons cornstarch
4 cups fresh blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375*F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch pan.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Use a fork or pastry cutter to cut in the shortening (or butter). Mix in the egg–dough will be crumbly.

Stir egg into dry ingredients.

Pat half of it into the bottom of the prepared pan.

3. In another bowl, stir together the cornstarch and remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Gently stir in the blueberries. Sprinkle the berry mixture evenly over the crust.

Layer berries over bottom crust.

Crumble the remaining dough over the berries.

Top with remaining crumbs.

4. Bake for 40 – 45 minutes, till the top is lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

SOURCE: All recipes.com

Chocolate Chip Coconut Mounds

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies, Cookies and tagged with bake sale favorites, baking, chocolate chips, coconut, cookies, dessert, recipe, snacks June 13, 2014

Chocolate Chip Coconut Mounds

A bake sale table is always an inviting sight. All those assorted cakes, cookies, pies, breads and bars just begging to be taken home. Everything looks so good they practically sell themselves.

Bake sale items, by definition, are lovingly homemade in the same way as baked goods auctioned off at church suppers, or judged at country fairs. They are the real deal, no fillers, no ingredients to prolong shelf life, or strange chemicals you can’t pronounce.

The recipe I have for you today is a bake sale favorite that contains chocolate chips, flaked coconut, and chopped walnuts. Probably the chocolate chips alone would be enough to entice most people, but add in the coconut and nuts, and they become chock full of true blue flavor and goodness.

I made these recently to bring to an end of the year picnic event. They disappeared “quick as a wink”. Give these chunky cookies a try for your family or the next time you’re asked to bake for a bake sale. They are really good!!

CHOCOLATE CHIP COCONUT MOUNDS

Yield: About 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons ( 1 stick plus 2 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons hot water
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (lightly packed) sweetened flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.

2. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter for 2 – 3 minutes on low speed. Add the light brown sugar and beat for 30 seconds on moderate speed; add the granulated sugar and beat for 30 seconds longer. Beat in the egg. Blend in the hot water and vanilla extract.

3. Add the flour in thirds, mixing well after each addition. Remove the bowl from the beater, and stir in the coconut, chips and nuts.

Stir in chips, coconut and nuts.

Chill the dough, covered with plastic wrap, for 30 minutes. Can leave longer if necessary, up to 48 hours. No need to bring to room temperature prior to baking.

4. In advance of baking, preheat the oven to 350*F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop dough in mounds of approximately 2 tablespoon size, leaving 1 1/2 inches between cookies. A cookie scoop helps to form uniformly sized cookies.

5. Bake the cookies for 12 – 14 minutes, or until just set and light golden here and there around the edges and golden in spots on top. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer them to cooling racks, using a wide spatula. Store the cookies in an airtight container, or pack in food-safe containers or bags for sale.

A little chewy, a little crunchy, totally good!

SOURCE: A Country Baking Treasury by Lisa Yockelson, via Chocolatier Magazine

Banana Upside-Down Cake

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Cakes and tagged with bananas, cake, cranberries, dessert, food, recipe, upside-down cake June 5, 2014

Banana Upside-Down Cake

Upside-down cakes were something that we had often when I was growing up. A one layer cake that had its own topping, therefore there was no need for frosting. The only kind my mom made was with pineapple; I never considered that there was any other kind. That may be true for many of you too, because it is only recently that I’ve been seeing recipes that use other kinds of fruits for the topping.

When my Spring edition of the Baking Sheet arrived last week it contained this recipe for Banana Upside-down Cake. And what a happy coincidence, I had two bananas just at that ready to use stage of ripeness. In addition to the bananas the topping also includes raisins or cranberries, and chopped nuts. Playing on the banana/tropical theme some spiced rum is included in the topping and in the cake. There is no alcohol content left after baking, but the rum does lend its flavor to the cake in a subtle way.

It’s absolutely best to serve this cake while it is still warm, with a whipped cream topping or ice cream on the side if you’re feeling indulgent. This was a nice change from the usual pineapple upside-down cake, and we enjoyed it very much.

BANANA UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Topping ingredients

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

Topping:

1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon spiced rum
2 medium ripe bananas, sliced about 1/2″ thick
1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Cake:

1 1/2 cups Unbleached Cake Flour
Cake ingredients
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons spiced rum

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F. Lightly grease an 8″ round cake pan that is at least 2″ deep. If you don’t have one, use a 9″ pan.

2. For the topping: Melt the butter. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and rum and stir until well combined. Pour into the bottom of the pan and pat even. Arrange bananas, raisins (or cranberries) and nuts over this and pat down gently.

Arrange bananas and remaining ingredients in bottom of cake pan.

3. For the cake: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

Cream butter, oil and sugar thoroughly. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.

Add the flour mixture alternately with milk and rum to the creamed mixture, stirring and blending after each addition. Gently pour the batter over the banana topping.

4. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until the cake just begins to pull from the side of the pan. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning upside down on a serving plate.

Turn out onto serving plate.

Serve warm and enjoy. YUM!

SOURCE: The Baking Sheet, King Arthur Flour

Whole Wheat Brownies

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies and tagged with applesauce, Brownies, dessert, healthy, recipe, snack, whole wheat flour May 27, 2014

Whole Wheat Brownies

The start of the holiday weekend, and there we were with no desserts on hand. Horrors!! How can you even think of having a cookout without some kind of dessert to end the meal. Just about everybody loves brownies, the fudgy-er the better. And if a person wanted to add a scoop of ice cream and maybe a tiny drizzle of chocolate sauce, I certainly would be the last one to object. Sooooo, brownies it is.

Was that a brownie sundae you wanted?

Let me see what I can do to make them “healthy”. Gee, is there really such a thing as a healthy brownie? Martha Stewart seems to think so, therefore I’ll take her word for it. These whole wheat brownies get a healthy boost from whole wheat flour and applesauce, while cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate make them nice and fudgy; really deep, dark and moist, but not heavy.

WHOLE WHEAT BROWNIES

Yield: Makes 16

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons ( 3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce, or Lighter Bake
1 large egg
8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

Lighter Bake is made from applesauce.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Butter or spray an 8-inch square baking dish. Line it with parchment paper; leaving a 2″ overhang on all sides. Butter or spray the parchment paper.

2. Place butter and 6-oz. of the chocolate in a heat proof bowl set over (not in) a pot of simmering water; stir until melted. remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Butter and chocolate melted together.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and soda.

Mix dry ingredients together.

4. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, applesauce and egg. Stir chocolate mixture into sugar mixture. Add flour mixture and stir just to blend.

Pour into prepared baking dish and top with the remaining 2 ounces of chopped chocolate.

Top batter with remaining chopped chocolate.

5. Bake about 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Use the parchment to lift from the pan, cut into 16 squares.

Lift brownies from pan with parchment paper.

Cut into squares to serve.

SOURCE: MarthaStewart.com

Lemon Tarts

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies and tagged with cookies, dessert, finger-foods, lemon, recipe, sugar cookie tarts May 23, 2014

Lemon Tarts

Sometimes being put on the spot with only a short amount of time does wonders for the imagination. With very little time to plan and pull this off in grand style, I was asked to provide a dessert; a “small finger-food” type that would not require a fork to eat it. As most of you know by now, I would not be one to turn up with a pan of brownies cut into small squares. I needed to come up with something with a little more pizzazz!!

So, an idea clicked into my head based on a picture I had seen of lemon-filled cookies. I expanded on that concept and turned what would have been the cookie into a small tart, by pressing the dough into mini muffin pan/cups. Once baked, but still warm, I made a depression in the center of each one with a cork, then I filled it with lemon curd. For this recipe I made a sugar cookie dough because I thought the sweetness of sugar cookie would be a nice contrast to the tart lemon curd. As a time saver you could use a roll of refrigerated sugar cookie dough sliced and pressed into the mini-muffin pans to make the tart. Lemon curd is available at the supermarket in the area where jams and jelly are displayed, or of course, you could make your own, but this is intended as a quick recipe….let’s not do extra work here.

These are as yummy as they look.

For a quickie dessert recipe, it got lots of compliments. For the presentation, I dusted the whole tray of lemon tarts with confectioners’ sugar and topped each one with a small wedge of citrus-flavored jellied fruit slice candy. When Mr. D. saw these going out the door with me, he said, “did you save any for us?’ Unfortunately I didn’t, so I really hoped I would be able to bring one or two home for him to sample. (P.S. I rescued four. You know—just to keep him happy.)

LEMON TARTS

Yield: Makes 36

Ingredients:

Simple Sugar Cookies:

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

Filling:

1 ( 10-ounce) jar lemon curd

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Shape into 2 rolls, wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour or until firm.

2. Preheat oven to 350*F. Lightly grease each cup of the mini-muffin pans. (Need 3 mini-muffin pans)

3. Unwrap dough; slice into 36 slices. Place each slice into a mini-muffin cup. Using your fingers press the dough up the sides of the pan to form a “cup”.

Form dough into “cups” with your fingers.

4. Bake at 350*F. for 8 – 10 minutes.

5. While the tarts are still warm, use a cork or small spoon to make a depression in the top of each one. Do not go all the way to the bottom. When the tarts have cooled, remove from the pans, and fill the depressions with lemon curd.

Make perfect depressions with a cork.

These will keep at room temperature for 2-3 days.

6. To serve, dust the tops with a light coat of confectioners’ sugar, and decorate as desired.

SOURCE: Carolyn’s Originals, cookie recipe from Taste of Home

Coconut Lime Scones

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Muffins & Scones and tagged with breakfast, brunch, citrus, coconut, dessert, lime, recipe, scones, vegetarian May 20, 2014

Coconut Lime Scones

By now it’s no secret how much I like coconut, and I have been having a craving that just won’t quit. Just when I think I’ve reached the end of my coconut obsession, another recipe pops up, I start to salivate, and then you know what happens….I bake!

I’m head over heels for coconut and seem to have gone bonkers for it. I just hope you are not bored by the number of recipes I’ve posted that contain coconut, because here is another one. These scones contain a match-up of coconut with lime and they are incredibly good. Their texture is not quite as crumbly as some scones, leaning more toward cake-like, but served warm from the oven, plain or with raspberry jam they are perfect. You can also serve them for dessert with fresh strawberries or coconut sorbet for a special treat. My idea for dressing them up was to make a glaze from confectioners’ sugar and lime juice . I hope you enjoy these scones.

You will note that the recipe calls for heavy cream in the dough and for brushing the tops. I thought that with the butter they contain, more fat from the cream was not needed, so I substituted buttermilk and still got a very tender scone. Since these are made primarily in the food processor, you must be careful not to over-process the dough or the scones will not be tender. If the dough seems wet, that’s OK, work in extra flour by kneading lightly on a floured surface.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold butter, cut into chunks
zest of 2 limes
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup whipping cream (or buttermilk)
1 egg
1 – 2 tablespoons cream for brushing tops

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425*F. and prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or silicon mat.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, coconut, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pulse it together just to mix. Add the cold butter and pulse until the butter has been cut into the floor and you have a coarse crumb. Add the lime juice and about 2/3’s of the zest and pulse.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the 1/2 cup cream (or buttermilk) and egg. Add it to the mixture and pulse until you have a dough that comes together but is still crumbly and wet.

Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface, and using the extra flour, work it into the dough and pat the dough into a round disc. Using a floured knife cut into 8 wedges.

Brush tops of the scones with the 1-2 tablespoons cream (or buttermilk). Bake for 10 minutes until slightly golden around the edges. Let the scones cool for a few minutes and firm up before removing them from the pan. While they are cooling, make the glaze.

In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and lime juice Whisk together to get a thin glaze. Drizzle over the tops of the warm scones and sprinkle with remaining zest.

SOURCE: adapted from a recipe by Heathercristo. com

Fiesta Cookies

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies and tagged with cake batter cookies, dessert, easy, ice cream sandwiches, Quick, recipe, sprinkles May 15, 2014

Fiesta Cookies

Which do you like better, cookies or cake? That’s a tough one, I know. But what if you could have both at the same time? Sound too good to be true? The recipe I have for you today is super simple to make from cake batter, yes, cake batter cookies. So if you make these cookies, you’ll never have to choose again.

It all starts with a box of cake mix. Add a few additional ingredients that you most likely already have, toss in some sprinkles for a “funfetti effect”, bake for a mere 10-12 minutes and there they are. I decided to call these “fiesta cookies” because they are colorful and look as if they’re ready for a party. There’s only one thing that could make them better: eat them with ice cream. After I baked mine and saw how large and round they got, I thought they would work perfectly for ice cream sandwiches. See if you don’t agree.

These make yummy ice cream sandwiches.

FIESTA COOKIES

Yield: about 24 cookies

Ingredients:

1 box vanilla cake mix
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 cup sprinkles
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
2 eggs + 1 yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk the cake mix with the baking powder and sprinkles to combine (be sure to break up any lumps).

3. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk the oil with the eggs, egg yolk and vanilla to combine.

Add the oil mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until fully incorporated.

4. Scoop out the cookie dough using a cookie scoop measuring about 2 tablespoons, and place mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets leaving at least 3/4-inch between each cookie to allow for spreading.

5. Bake until surface is crackly and the cookies are slightly golden around the edges, 10 – 12 minutes. Cool before serving.

These cookies are perfect for ice cream sandwiches. Just scoop some slightly softened ice cream into the center of one cookie and top with another. Freeze the sandwiches after you’ve assembled them, just until they firm up. OOOOOH, so good!

SOURCE: PureWow

Dulce de Leche Fluff Brownies

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies and tagged with Brownies, chocolate, dessert, dulce de leche, Marshmallow creme, recipe May 5, 2014

Dulce de Leche Fluff Brownies

So many celebrations this month! May is one of the busiest months around here. Beginning today with Cinco de Mayo and continuing right on through Memorial Day, I have something on my calendar every weekend, sometimes more than one event, and they all involve preparation of food on my part. I just hope I can keep up with it. If I drop out of sight for a day or two you’ll know what happened…..I fell off the edge.

So, today Mr. D. has an office pot-luck lunch in honor of Cinco de Mayo. His co-workers have special dishes they prepare around that theme so I’m not going to compete with them, I’ll tackle the dessert. What I decided on are these Dulce de Leche Brownies. Who doesn’t like brownies? When you add toppings like Marshmallow Creme and Dulce de Leche plus chopped pecans…..swoon!!….If I were there, I’d start with dessert, thank you.

Imagine a fudgy brownie underneath all this gooey-ness.

I just know these are fabulous brownies, I’ve made them before this. I couldn’t taste them, however, because when you bake for an event, you really can’t send a pan of brownies with one corner missing….. or can you? Anyway I hope my photos get you salivating and anxious to try these wonderful brownies. I omitted the chopped pecans on top because of possible nut allergies among the group of people who will be eating these.

DULCE DE LECHE FLUFF BROWNIES

Yield: 42 servings

Ingredients:

6 0unces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
A pan of brownies, + marshmallow creme, + dulce de leche=heaven.
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 13.4- ounce can dulce de leche
1 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan cook and stir unsweetened chocolate and butter over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350*F. Line a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with foil, extending the foil over the edges of pan. Grease foil; set pan aside. I omitted this step because my brownies are going to travel in the baking pan which has a cover—-much safer for Mr. D. to carry to work.

2. Stir sugar into chocolate mixture. Add eggs, one at a time, beating with a wooden spoon after each addition just until combined. Stir in vanilla. In a small bowl stir together flour an baking soda. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture; stir just until combined. Stir in semisweet chocolate pieces. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan, spreading evenly. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until ages are set and center is almost set.

3. Meanwhile transfer dulce de leche to a small microwave-safe bowl (or leave it in its jar if that is microwaveable). Microwave on 100 percent power about 1 minute or until softened, stirring once.

4. Remove brownies from oven and set pan on a wire rack. Immediately spoon marshmallow creme in mounds on top of hot brownies. (Having a glass of water handy to dip knife blade into, makes dealing with the sticky marshmallow creme a whole lot easier.)

Drop mounds of marshmallow fluff on top of warm brownies.

Drop spoonfuls of dulce de leche between mounds of marshmallow creme. Let stand for a few minutes to soften. Using a table knife or narrow metal spatula, gently swirl marshmallow creme and dulce de leche together to marble. Sprinkle with pecans, Cool in pan on rack.

Fill in the open spaces with dulce de leche, and swirl together.

5. Using the edges of the foil, lift uncut brownies out of pan. Cut into brownies, wiping knife as needed between cuts.

These brownies are oowey, gooey good!

SOURCE: Better Homes and Gardens

Layered Strawberry-Coconut Panna Cotta

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Desserts and tagged with coconut milk, dessert, gelatin, panna cotta, recipe, strawberries April 29, 2014

Strawberry-Coconut Panna Cotta

After this year’s seemingly never ending winter, it’s a joy to see the arrival of spring and the arrival of fresh vegetables like asparagus, baby artichokes, and new beets. Early fruits include rhubarb and strawberries, and I can’t wait to start to use them in my meals.

One of the first things I made was this sweet, creamy strawberry-coconut panna cotta. The strawberries are served up in two ways–sliced and sweetened as a topping, and cooked into the ruby-red gelatin. I showcased it’s pretty layers by serving it in wine glasses.

This dessert gets it’s coconut flavor thru coconut milk, and the recipe calls for both regular coconut milk and light coconut milk. If you prefer to use all light coconut milk you certainly can, but it’s amazing how much flavor and creamy consistency you get from mixing in a little full-fat coconut milk. I already had some cream of coconut open in my refrigerator, so I used that, and thinned it with skim milk. This allowed me to keep the fat content low, but still get the coconut flavor. The cream of coconut is sweet, so I used only 1 Tablespoon of sugar in the panna cotta.

LAYERED STRAWBERRY-COCONUT PANNA COTTA

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients:

Strawberry Gelatin:

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon water
3/4 cup sliced strawberries
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup water

Panna Cotta:

3/4 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup coconut milk**
1/4 cup light coconut milk **
2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar ( I used only 1 Tablespoon sugar, here.)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
** If using cream of coconut, make a 50-50 mixture of cream of coconut and fat-free milk for a total of 3/4 cup of liquid.

Strawberries:

2 cups sliced strawberries
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. To make the strawberry gelatin: Sprinkle 1 teaspoon gelatin over 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Combine the strawberries, the sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan; let stand for 5 minutes. Mash mixture with a fork or a potato masher. Place pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer; cook 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Add the water; return to a simmer. Remove from the heat. Add gelatin mixture, stirring until gelatin dissolves. Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a measuring cup, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids. Divide strawberry mixture evenly among 4 wineglasses. Chill 1 hour or until set.

2. To make the panna cotta: Sprinkle 3/4 tsp. gelatin over the 1 tbsp. water in a small bowl. Combine coconut milks, sugar, and 1 tsp. lemon juice in a saucepan; bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. Add gelatin mixture, stirring until gelatin dissolves. Cool to room temperature. Carefully pour one-fourth of this mixture on top of each strawberry gelatin. Chill 1 hour or until set.

3. To prepare strawberries: Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl; toss gently. Let stand 5 minutes. Divide strawberry mixture evenly among the glasses.

SOURCE: Cooking Light Magazine

Delicious on a Dollar

Devoted to the preparation of healthy & economical foods that taste fabulous!

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