Brownie Conversation Hearts

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies and tagged with conversation hearts, dessert, food, heart-shaped brownies, recipe, valentines day February 12, 2014

Conversation Brownie Hearts

If brownies could speak what would they say? How about things like: U R 4 Me, I (heart) U, B Mine, B F F. I think you get the idea. Just think of those little heart candies with the sweet sentiments on them. Those same sentiments can be written on fudgy brownies for Valentines Day.

Write on them or leave them plain. They are still pretty.

Using a boxed brownie mix, these don’t take long to make, but they look like you spent a lot of time on them. Here’s how I made them. You will need….

BROWNIE CONVERSATION HEARTS

Yield: about 18 heart shaped brownies

Ingredients:

1 package (family-size) fudge brownie mix
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons water

1. Empty brownie mix into a large bowl. Add the sour cream, eggs, and water. Mix well, but do not over mix. Spoon batter into a greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

2. Bake and cool as package directs. When sufficiently cool, cut out with heart shaped cookie cutters. Mine were about 2 1/2 inches wide.

Cutting out the hearts.

Place brownies on a wire rack over a wax paper-lined baking sheet.

For Frosting:

4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup water
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
red food coloring

1. Mix confectioners’ sugar, water, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Cook on medium-low heat until sugar is melted, stirring occasionally. Stir in vanilla. Tint with food coloring to the desired level of color. While icing is hot, spoon or pour icing over tops of brownies. If icing becomes too stiff, or starts to crystalize, gently reheat to pouring consistency. Let cool till icing is set. Note: I thought mine looked neater, with the drips trimmed away, keeping the icing on the tops only.

2. Remaining icing may be tinted a darker shade to use for writing on the brownies, or melt a few chocolate chips to write with. Put the icing (or melted chocolate) in a zip lock bag. Cut a tiny snip off one corner, and squeeze out the icing to write on the brownie tops.

SOURCE: All Recipes Magazine

Chocolate Almond Cherry Biscotti

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies and tagged with almonds, Biscotti, chocolate, cookies, dessert, dried cherries, food, recipe February 11, 2014

Chocolate Almond Cherry Biscotti

Don’t try to resist these. Just go with the flow and have one (or two) with a warm cup of coffee, or hot cocoa. Oh, my, they are beyond good.

Perfect with a cup of coffee or cocoa.

If you have never made biscotti before, let me assure you they are not hard. Yes, they bake twice. That’s what gives them their crunch. First you mix up the dough and shape it into a log on a baking sheet. Then the log is baked and allowed to cool a bit. Then you slice it crosswise, and bake it again. These cookies are crunchy and chocolatey. Chock full of chopped almonds and sweet dried cherries, then they’re dipped into melted semisweet chocolate for that extra special Valentine touch. Ta-da!!

These are perfect for dessert, teatime, with a cup of cappuccino, perfect for breakfast, perfect for packaging up and giving this Valentine’s Day. Did I say they are perfect? Ooooo-yeah!

CHOCOLATE ALMOND CHERRY BISCOTTI

YIELD: 16-18 pieces

Lots of good things go into these lovely biscotti.

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa
1/3 cup almond flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup chopped almonds
1 cup dried cherries

For chocolate dip:

1 cup mini chocolate chips, divided
2 tsp. shortening

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar till fluffy. Add in the eggs and extracts, beating till well combined.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, almond flour, baking powder and salt.

Mix dry ingredients together.

With the mixer on “Low”, add in the dry ingredients in several batches. Stir in the almonds and cherries.

4. Spoon the dough onto the baking sheet diagonally in a long line. With lightly floured hands, shape the dough into a log that measures approx. 14″ x 3″. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula if necessary.

Shape dough into a “log”.

5. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes.

The log, after baking.

6. Reduce oven temperature to 325*F. Spritz log lightly with water just to slightly moisten the crust. Cut crosswise into strips about 3/4-inch to 1-inch wide. Stand upright.

Spritz the crust lightly, cut crosswise, and stand upright.

Spritz the crust lightly, cut crosswise, and stand slices upright.

7. Return to the oven and bake an additional 25 – 30 minutes till dry. Remove and let cool completely.

8. To Dip: Melt 2/3 cup chips and the shortening in a microwave safe dish ( about 45 seconds at 50% power). Stir to smooth out, then stir in the remaining chips and stir again till smooth. Dip bottoms of biscotti into the chocolate. Let dry on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 5 – 10 minutes to set.

Dip bottoms of biscotti into melted chocolate.

SOURCE: Bake at 350

Shortbread Heart Cookies

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies, Cookies, Desserts and tagged with dessert, heart cookies, raspberry butter cookies, recipe, sugar cookies, valentines day February 10, 2014

Shortbread Heart Cookies

I remember the first time I ever had shortbread cookies. They were made by a woman from Scotland who was a friend of my mother’s. I thought they were the most delicious cookies I had ever had. Tasting strongly of butter, with a texture that was tender and flaky, they simply melted on my tongue. I have tried on many occasions to duplicate those cookies. Somehow the ones I turn out fall just shy of the perfection I remember. Or is it that time has a way of altering our memories just a little?

Anyway, the recipe I’m sharing with you today is my go-to recipe for shortbread cookies. I like it because the dough can be made in the processor, thereby eliminating all that stirring and blending of butter with the flour /sugar mixture. An egg yolk, a little water, and almond or vanilla extract add just enough moisture to hold it all together. Once chilled it is easy to work with and rolls out easily, so it can be cut into shapes for whatever the occasion may be. Here, I cut heart shapes, and then to fancy them up for Valentine’s Day I added a strip of raspberry jam and a chocolate drizzle. Since raspberry and chocolate are a favorite combination, this works very well, and makes an attractive and tasty cookie.

Shortbread Heart Cookies

SHORTBREAD CUTOUT COOKIES

YIELD: Makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup blanched almonds**
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

** If you would prefer to eliminate the almonds, substitute 1/2 cup more flour.

To make cookies that look like mine you will also need:

1/2 cup seedless raspberry preserves
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a food processor, combine the flour, almonds, sugar and salt; cover and process until almonds are finely ground. Cut butter into cubes; add to processor. Pulse on and off until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

2. Combine the egg yolk, water and extract in a small bowl. With processor running, gradually add yolk mixture; process until dough forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with floured cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough.

Cut into desired shapes

4. With the handle of a wooden spoon, or other small cylindrical object, make a depression diagonally across each cookie.

4a. Place the raspberry preserves in a microwave safe cup or small bowl, and stir in the cornstarch. Bring to a boil in the microwave: about 1 minute. Stir well and allow to cool.

Fill the indentation in each cookie with a small amount of the raspberry preserves.

5. Bake at 325*F. for 12 – 14 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for 1 minute before removing from pans to wire racks to cool.

6. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring @ 30-second intervals until melted and smooth. Drizzle the melted chocolate over each cookie. Allow the chocolate to harden before storing in an air-tight container.

SOURCE: Adapted from Taste of Home

Here are some more Valentine’s Day cookies that have been featured previously in this space.

Sandwiches Sweet and Pink

Pecan Sour Cream Sandies

Turtle Fudge Cake with Caramel Drizzle

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Cakes and tagged with cake, caramel sauce, dessert, food, fudge cake, recipe, turtle fudge cake February 7, 2014

Turtle Fudge Cake

Just hearing the word “fudge” brings tears of joy to most chocolate-lovers’ eyes. After all, what other dessert conjures up images so rich and chocolaty? It’s mind-boggling to consider how long fudge has been popular. Did you know that fudge was adored back in the 19th century and is still popular today?

According to John Mariani in the The Dictionary of American Food and Drink, fudge as a candy first appeared as a written recipe in 1896. Today fudge is more than just a candy–it’s used to enhance cakes, brownies, cookies, ice creams and frostings.

Most of us particularly love fudge cakes as they tend to be moister, richer and often more rewarding than regular chocolate cakes. We celebrated family birthdays occurring in January and February just recently and I was the official cake-baker. There were three “birthday girls” ranging in age from five years old, to mid-twenties, to her eighties.

The “birthday girls”.

When asked what kind of cake they would like , all agreed on chocolate cake, especially with white frosting. So that sent me on a hunt for an outstanding chocolate cake that would meet all my requirements; be moist and fudgy, and provide a large number of servings. This one relies on a good quality cake mix as the basis with some additions that really raise it to a level that I call outstanding.

One of the additions is caramel candies. You will notice in the directions that half-way through the baking process, caramels are gently pressed into the top crust of the cake. As the cake bakes they melt into a tunnel of caramel running through the center of the cake. Since most little girls like lots of “do-dahs” on their cake, I used chocolate covered caramels in the cake, and then melted more of them with a little cream, to create an uncomplicated, delicious topping that’s drizzled over the top and down the sides of the cake. To incorporate white frosting, I made a plain white frosting from butter, confectioner’s sugar and milk and kept it thin so it would run down the sides of the cake. I applied that first and after it firmed up, I then drizzled the caramel topping over it.

Drizzle chocolate caramel over the top in a random pattern.

TURTLE FUDGE CAKE WITH CARAMEL DRIZZLE

Yield: 12 – 14 servings

Ingredients:

For fudge cake:

1 (18.25 oz.) box Moist Deluxe Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix (Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker)
1 (3.9-oz.) box Jell-O Chocolate Fudge Instant Pudding and Pie Filling Mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped ( I needed to omit the nuts, because of allergies)
25 caramels, such as Hershey’s Classic Caramels ( or chocolate covered caramels)

I used chocolate-covered caramels.

For Caramel Drizzle:

15 caramels
2 Tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Lightly spray a 12-cup tube or Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Put all the ingredients into one bowl and mix up.

2. Place cake mix, pudding mix, oil, eggs and sour cream in bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until ingredients are just combined, about 1 1/2 minutes, stopping at least once to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in pecans with a spatula, mixing just until nuts are thoroughly distributed. Batter will be thick.

Batter will be thick going into the pan,

3. Scrape batter into prepared pan, smoothing and leveling top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove cake from oven and place caramels on top of cake in a ring, pressing them down gently just into top crust of cake.

Place the caramels in a ring over the top of the partially baked cake.

Do not push them entirely into cake. Place cake back in the oven and bake for another 25 – 30 minutes (total of 50-55 minutes), or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

This cake rises nice and high. Not all of the caramels sunk into the cake.

4. Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn cake out of pan onto wire rack and let cool completely.

5. Make caramel drizzle: In a small saucepan, over low heat, melt caramels and heavy cream together until completely smooth. (You can melt them in the microwave also.) Place a sheet of waxed paper under wire rack holding cake and pour caramel over top of cake, allowing it to drizzle down sides and center. Note: I placed the cake on it’s serving plate, then slid strips of wax paper under the edges to catch any drips of frosting or caramel. These can be easily pulled out before serving–much easier than trying to maneuver a frosted cake onto a cake dish!!

To make your cake look like mine: After step 4, mix up a small amount of frosting using about 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, 1 Tbsp. soft butter and enough cream (start with 1 Tbsp. and add as necessary) to make a spreading consistency.

Powdered sugar, butter and a little cream make the frosting.

Pour over the cake and allow it to drip down the sides and center.

Pour over the cake and let it run down the sides and middle.

Pour over the cake and let it run down the sides and center.

After it has hardened, proceed with step 5, making the caramel drizzle and dripping it over the white frosting so some of the white shows through.

Make the caramel a thin drizzling consistency.

Drizzle chocolate caramel over the top in a random pattern.

Final decorations in place. Let’s party!!

This would be lovely for Valentine’s Day also.

This cake more than lived up to its promise! It was moist and fudgy, giving all the flavors of Turtle candies (minus the pecans). Definitely a calorie splurge, but for a Birthday cake it was definitely worth it. 😀

SOURCE: Major-ly adapted from Chocolatier Magazine

Coconut Tapioca Pudding with Mango

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Desserts and tagged with coconut, dessert, gluten-free, low fat, mango, pudding, recipe, tapioca February 3, 2014

Tapioca Pudding with Mango and Coconut Cream

Are you still sticking with your New Year’s Resolution? You know, the one about exercising and losing weight. You are? Why that’s just great! And I’m here to help with that. Isn’t it hard going without desserts though, denying yourself those sweets you love? What happens most often is–you can hold out for a while, but then youabsolutelymusthavesomething for dessert.

For me pudding seems to be the answer. I cannot completely cut desserts out of my life, so I think that having a limited quantity of a dessert that is not excessively decadent is exactly what’s needed. It keeps me sane (at least I think so). In my opinion there is no better dessert for this purpose than pudding. This week my pudding of choice is tapioca. OK, so call me old-fashioned. I served it in dessert cups that I found in my parent’s attic; I love these old vintage dishes, too.

Served in vintage dessert dishes.

Tapioca is a pudding that doesn’t get much attention in the pudding/dessert world. It’s a puzzle to me, as I think it’s gorgeous, has a chewy starchy texture, and comes from the plant world. Tapioca pearls come in several sizes, but I like the tiny ones. They get cooked in a custard to which you can add vanilla or lemon, orange, or cinnamon. Tapioca pudding is like a blank slate. In this case, since I am feeling the effects of this long cold winter, I included ingredients that I associate with the tropics; mango, lime and coconut. I used mango pureed with lime juice, and topped off the whole thing with whipped coconut cream, and toasted coconut chips for garnish.

A luxurious, but surprisingly low-fat dessert.

If you are dreaming of warmer places, places with palm trees and tropical fruits, places where one does not need to pull on heavy snow boots with ski socks, a down-quilted jacket, knit hat, scarf and gloves just for a grocery store run, then this dessert might just be the dessert for you.

As I write this, the southern parts of the U.S are feeling the full brunt of a winter snow-sleet-ice storm. I feel your pain, people. We here in the northeast know just what you’re going through. Hang in there, Spring is on its way!

COCONUT TAPIOCA PUDDING WITH MANGO

Yield: 4 1/2-cup servings, plus toppings

Pudding:

Tiny pearl tapioca, plus "light" coconut milk.

Small pearl tapioca, .

1/3 cup small pearl tapioca, such as Bob’s Red Mill
2 1/2 cups coconut milk ( light or full-fat, or use regular milk)
1 egg yolk
1/4 – 1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. table salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Mango Puree:

1 very ripe mango, peeled, pitted and roughly chopped
2 tsp. granulated sugar, optional ( I used it, but would skip it next time)
1 squeeze or two of fresh lime juice

Optional garnishes:

whipped coconut cream
1/2 cup toasted coconut chips or flakes
few gratings of lime zest

Make Pudding: In a medium saucepan, soak tapioca in coconut milk for 30 minutes. Whisk in egg yolk, sugar, and salt. Place saucepan over medium heat until mixture comes to a simmer, then reduce it to very low so it’s barely bubbling, and cook it until it thickens, about 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

Cooking the tapioca vanilla custard

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Pour into pudding cups to chill for several hours. Pudding may seem thin going into the cups but after chilling in the fridge, it will set on the firm side.

Pour pudding into dessert cups to chill.

To make a softer, lighter pudding you may want to beat the egg white you separated from the yolk, separately with a spoonful of sugar you would otherwise have added to the tapioca. Beat until glossy peaks form. After the pudding has cooled for about 15 minutes, spoon some of the pudding mixture into the egg white and fold in, then pour all of it back into the pudding, folding in until it has all been uniformly incorporated.

Make Mango Place mango chunks in a small food processor or blender with lime juice and sugar and blend until very smooth. Refrigerate puree until needed.

Make Whipped Coconut Cream: Place 1 can of full fat coconut milk in the fridge overnight. This will cause the coconut fats and thin milk/watery part to separate. Also place small/medium mixing bowl (ideally metal) in the freezer. The next day, turn the can of coconut milk upside down before opening it, so that the thickened coconut fat will be at the bottom. Pour off the thin coconut milk; you should have about 1 cup and this can be used towards the amount needed for the tapioca. About 2/3 thickened coconut fat will remain at the bottom of the can. Scrape this into the chilled bowl, and beat it with an electric mixer until thick and whipped, like cream. Dollop it over desserts such as this, though you will have more than you need for 4 puddings. It will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for several days.

Thick coconut milk whips up like cream.

To Toast Coconut Chips: Heat an oven to 350*F. Spread coconut flakes on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until golden brown and fragrant, about 5 minutes, tossing once if needed to help them brown evenly. Let cool before using.

To Serve: Dollop a spoonful of mango puree on the tapioca, then top it with a some coconut cream. Sprinkle with toasted coconut before serving.

SOURCE: Smitten Kitchen

Apple Cinnamon Loaf

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bread, Rolls and tagged with Apples, dessert, food, quick bread, recipe January 23, 2014

Apple Cinnamon Loaf

If you love the combination of apples, cinnamon and brown sugar, then you will love this quick bread. It straddles the fence between cake and bread. There is a layer of apples, cinnamon and sugar running through the middle, and more on top, ensuring that this is a moist and flavorful bread. We could devour the whole loaf in one sitting, but, of course, we don’t. 😛

The convenience of quick breads comes from the fact that they’re leavened with baking powder and /or baking soda, not yeast. Therefore you can mix, bake and enjoy these baked goods in a short amount of time.

It is important when making a quick bread to have all your ingredients measured, chopped and ready. Mix all the dry ingredients together before creaming the fat, sugar and eggs. Add the dry ingredients when called for, stirring in only long enough to incorporate. A few lumps in the batter is fine. Once the batter has been mixed and poured into the baking pan, put into the oven as soon as possible, as the leaveners will begin producing gas once they are moistened. If allowed to stand too long before baking, the bread may have a sunken center.

APPLE CINNAMON LOAF

Yield: 1 9-inch loaf, about 8 servings

Have all ingredients measured and ready.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup brown sugar, not packed
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup mik
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan.

2. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and set aside.

Brown sugar and cinnamon.

Peel, core and chop apple, and set aside.

3. Using an electric mixture, beat the granulated sugar and butter together until smooth and creamy.

Have butter softened at room temperature.

Beat in eggs, one at a time. until incorporated; add vanilla extract.

4. Combine flour and baking powder together in another bowl; stir into creamed mixture. Mix milk into batter with a spoon until smooth. Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Next add half the apples and half the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture. Lightly pat into the batter.

5. Pour remaining batter over apple layer; top with remaining apple and add brown sugar mixture. Lightly pat apples into batter; swirl brown sugar mixture through apples using finger or spoon.

6. Bake 45 – 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center of the loaf comes out clean. Cooking times may vary, rely on the clean toothpick test for doneness.

Allow to cool on a wire rack.

To serve, cut loaf with a serrated knife, using a sawing motion to avoid tearing. This bread is very tender and moist.

To store, wrap lightly in foil, and store at room temperature.

SOURCE: Just a Pinch.com

Chocolate Pudding Cake

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Cakes, Desserts and tagged with Chocolate cake, dessert, food, pudding cake, recipe January 20, 2014

Chocolate Pudding Cake

When you are in the mood for a dessert that is gooey and chocolatey, but don’t want a whole lot left over ( to further tempt you), this recipe is the perfect answer. It makes only four individual servings, so portion control is built right in. This is cake that makes its own sauce. The topping magically makes a fudge-y pudding on the bottom of the cake, and served with a scoop of ice cream, whipped cream, or a toasted marshmallow, you just can’t go wrong!

Serve warm with ice cream.

Quick and easy to make, and deliciously fabulous to eat, these chocolate pudding-like cakes are a warm decadent finish to a winter menu. This is comfort food at its best, an awesome dessert, whether served to family or guests, everyone will love it.

CHOCOLATE PUDDING CAKES

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

Batter:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1/4 cup almond flour ( or 1/4 cup almonds, finely chopped in a processor)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk

Topping:

1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. baking cocoa
pinch salt
1 cup hot milk or hot water

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F. Grease 4 ( 8 – 10 0z,) oven-safe mugs or ramekins.

2. For the cake: Mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa, almond flour, salt, and baking powder.

Mix together dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter, egg, and milk. Add to dry ingredients, and mix until all is moistened without over mixing. Divide this batter among the 4 mugs or ramekins, using about 1/3 cup batter in each.

3. For the topping: Whisk together the sugar, cocoa, and salt. Divide this mixture among the mugs or ramekins, using two heaping tablespoons for each.

Divide batter into ramekins and sprinkle on topping.

4. Top each dish with a 1/4 cup of the hot milk or water. Place all on a baking sheet.

Pour hot milk over top.

5. Bake the cakes for 18 to 22 minutes. The cake should be puffy, with some liquid bubbling up around the edges.

Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream if desired.

Warm, gooey, fudge-y. What’s not to love?

SOURCE: King Arthur Flour

Poached Pears

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Carolyn's Originals, Desserts and tagged with cranberry ginger ale, dessert, food, fruit, pears, recipe, sugar-free January 9, 2014

Poached Pears

Necessity is the mother of invention. You’ve heard that saying before haven’t you?

Well, in my refrigerator were four pears that had gotten quite ripe while I was away, and it was necessary that I find a way to use them up. I had read an article some time ago about poaching pears in red wine, and thought at the time that they were very pretty because they became tinted pink. Not having any red wine readily available, I “invented” this recipe for poached pears using cranberry ginger ale. Since orange is also a good match-up with cranberry, I added some orange slices and threw in some whole cloves. The results, as you can see, were tender pears, tinted a nice pink, and further flavored by the orange and cloves. And the best part? There’s no sugar in this recipe. I just relied on the sweetness of the ginger ale and the pears themselves to carry the dish.

After being cooked they are a lovely pink color.

This is an easy-peasy dessert. It can be served warm or chilled. Mr. D. loved these pears, and I must say that I find them pretty darn good too. If your New Year’s resolution has something to do with weight loss or eating less sugar, these pears are for you!!

This is everything you will need.

POACHED PEARS

Yield: 4 -6 servings

Ingredients:

4 medium pears, ripe, but not too soft. I used Anjou pears
1 orange
several whole cloves, about 6
a bottle cranberry ginger ale, or cranberry juice

Directions:

1. Peel and core the pears. Cut each one into eighths. Place into a medium-size sauce pan.

2. Slice 3-4 slices from the orange, and cut each one in half. Juice the rest of the orange and add the juice to the pan with the fruit.

Cut-up pears, orange slices and cloves in the saucepan.

3. Add the cloves to the pan with the fruit.

4. Pour in the ginger ale just to the point where the pears are not quite covered. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the pears are tender when pierced with a knife. This took about 15 minutes.

5. Drain the pears reserving the juice, but removing the cloves and orange slices. Cool and serve pears with some of the juice.

Serve warm or chilled for a low calorie dessert.

SOURCE: Carolyn’s Originals

Speculoos Buttons

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies, Cookies, Holiday and tagged with Christmas cookies, cookies, dessert, food, gift, Holidays, recipe, speculatius, speculoos, spice cookies December 20, 2013

Speculoos Buttons

Speculoos, or Speculatius, are lightly spiced little cookies that are often made with a special rolling pin, that imprints a design on the cookie. In this version the dough is formed into a log, then sliced; thus making them small and round like a button. To keep this idea going I put only a small round disc of frosting on the top of each one and sprinkled colored sugar or pearls on it. These cookies are quite small and dainty, with their edges sparkling with sugar, and the dab of frosting on top, each one is just a quick little bite of deliciousness.

I modified the original recipe to include a more elaborate mix of spices that make a nice blend with the light brown sugar and mild-flavored light molasses. You might wish to make these little gems somewhat larger than I did, if you wish to decorate the top surface with piping or add more colored sugar.

SPECULOOS BUTTONS

Yield: About 8 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

A nice blend of spices give these cookies their yummy flavor.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground mace
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1-stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. mild-flavored (light) molasses
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg white
sanding, or other decorative sugar
Decorative sugars to roll the logs in.

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
sprinkles, colored sanding sugar, or dragées

Directions:

1. Whisk the dry ingredients (flour through salt) in a medium bowl; set aside. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter in a medium bowl until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add both sugars and molasses; continue to beat until mixture is smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla, mix for 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low; add dry ingredients and mix to blend well.

2. Scrape dough from bowl and divide into thirds. Using your palms, roll each piece of dough into an 8″ log. Wrap logs tightly in plastic or parchment paper and freeze for at least 3 hours.

Roll the dough into 3 logs, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.

I left mine overnight before baking. For neater edges, remove logs from freezer after 1 hour and roll on counter. Do Ahead: These cookies can be made up to 2 months ahead. Keep frozen until ready to bake.

3. Preheat oven to 375*F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

4. Whisk egg white in a small bowl to loosen, lightly brush all over 1 log. Sprinkle with (or roll in) sanding sugar. Using a long slender knife, slice off a sliver of dough from each end of log to make ends flat. Cut log into 1/4″-thick rounds. Transfer to baking sheet, spacing 1/2″ apart; place in freezer while you cut the next log. (The cookies hold their shape better if you bake when dough is cold.) Repeat with remaining dough.

Slice the logs into “coins” before baking.

5. Bake the cookies for 11 – 13 minutes, until tops are golden brown and centers are almost firm. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool. Repeat with all of the baking sheets. Do Ahead: Cookies may be baked up to 2 days before glazing. Store airtight at room temperature.

6. Glaze: Mix powdered sugar and 1 – 2 teaspoons cold water in a medium mixing bowl. Add more water a little at a time if needed. Glaze should be quite thick. You may spoon about 1/2 tsp. glaze onto each button, or fill a resealable plastic bag with glaze and cut a small hole in 1 corner, and pipe an even circle onto the cookies. Decorate with sprinkles, colored sugar, or dragées, if desired.

Decorate each cookie with a little glaze and some colored sugar.

Let stand on rack at room temperature for at least 30 minutes for glaze to set. Cookies may be stored at room temperature in a tightly sealed container.

SOURCE: Slightly modified recipe from Dorie Greenspan, via Bon Appetit.com

Cocoa Thumbprints

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies, Cookies, Holiday and tagged with chocolate, Christmas cookies, cocoa, dessert, food, gift, Holidays, recipe, thumbprints December 19, 2013

Cocoa Thumbprints

Today, because I don’t already have enough browned, crisp, sugary, buttery thoughts swirling around in my head, I’m going to talk about chocolate, thumbprints, white sugar, sprinkles and all sorts of other decorative garnishes. So just let me get suited up in my mask, and super-woman cape and gallop into my kitchen with a sense of urgency. Not so fast, time, I’m coming, I’m coming. Wait for meeee…….

Something would be noticeably absent if I didn’t include a chocolate cookie in my gifts and platter of Christmas cookies. I have too many such recipes to count, but if you’ll remember I’m trying to keep my cookie choices to ones that are simple to make, yet have great texture and outstanding flavor. So this great recipe got my vote this year. At this point, I’ve made them and we’ve eaten a few, and I can say for certain they get a “standing ovation”. You can mix them up by hand, no electric mixer to get out, butter is melted so you don’t have to take it out in advance to soften, and once they come out of the oven they are finished and ready to eat. If you’re in a hurry, these are perfect!

Thumbprints are easy to make and traditionally filled with jam, but these are much more fun. Even though the cookies are all the same, they look different due to the variety of garnishes I used in the centers. Try chocolate kisses, crushed candy canes or a dollop of frosting. Colored sprinkles, mini marshmallows, M&M’s, or dried fruit would work out nicely as well. Let your imagine go wild, use what ever you have on hand. They will be delicious no matter how you decorate them.

COCOA THUMBPRINTS

Yield: Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

Dutch process cocoas makes a nice dark cookie.

Dutch process cocoa makes a nice dark cookie.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup for rolling
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
various decorative sprinkles, nuts, mini marshmallow, candies etc. for filling

Directions:

1. Whisk the flour, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, the cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter and eggs and stir until combined. Cover and refrigerate the dough until firm, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. If you’re really in a hurry I think you could shape these without chilling, but the cookies may spread more while baking.

2. Preheat the oven to 325*F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Place the confectioners’ sugar and the remaining granulated sugar into 2 separate small bowls. Roll scant tablespoonfuls of dough into balls; roll in the granulated sugar and then in the confectioners’ sugar.

Roll first in regular sugar, then in powdered sugar.

Place 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Lightly flatten each ball with your fingers and make a deep 1/2-inch wide indentation in the centers with your thumb. (TIP: use a cork to make perfect indentations, taking care not to press all the way to the bottom of the cookie.)

3. Place your choice of filling in the indentations.

Red and green glacée cherries fill these cookies.

4. Bake cookies until puffed and slightly cracked, about 10 minutes. Let cool 3 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Cocoa Thumbprints with various fillings.

SOURCE: Food Network Magazine, Dec. 2011

Delicious on a Dollar

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

Tag Archives: dessert

Brownie Conversation Hearts

Chocolate Almond Cherry Biscotti

Shortbread Heart Cookies

Turtle Fudge Cake with Caramel Drizzle

Coconut Tapioca Pudding with Mango

Apple Cinnamon Loaf

Chocolate Pudding Cake

Poached Pears

Speculoos Buttons

Cocoa Thumbprints

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this: