Category: Recipes: Dessert

I love me some s’mores. I always looked forward to summer barbecues as a kid and the chance to make them.  It was such a treat. Now that I’m older, I can make them anytime I want to, but still treat them as special as they were as a kid. I decided to make this tonight, since I’m watching my Patriots in a playoff game (and I have a bottle of champagne waiting if they win) and really need the chocolate!

This is so easy and it can be done in an oven or over a campfire!

These are very tasty and can become addictive. My friend Paul, also an awesome chef in the kitchen, made these a couple of weeks ago and I couldn’t stop eating them.  🙂

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups shredded coconut
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups lightly salted, dry roasted almonds, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Fold in the coconut, chocolate chips and almonds and stir until just incorporated.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons on prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until set.

I have this friend, who absolutely loves anything to do with German Chocolate.  Cake, cupcakes, brownies, etc., pretty much anything you can come up.  So, cookies were mentioned and I offered to take up the mantle to try.  I searched for a good recipe and you’d be amazed at how many sites offered “German” Chocolate cookies that contained NO German chocolate.  *eyeroll*

Found this one and tried it.  They turned out kind of dry but am planning on making them again – with the most delicious coconut/pecan frosting on top.

As for my friend, I’ve apparently been given the job of feeding his German Chocolate addiction.  I don’t mind. *grin*

Ingredients:

• ½ cup butter, softened
• ½ cup brown sugar, packed
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 4-oz. bar German’s sweet chocolate, melted
• 1-1/4 cups flour
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 cups flaked coconut
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats.
In a large bowl beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and stir until combined. Add the melted chocolate and stir until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to the butter mixture, beating until combined. Stir in the coconut and pecans. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto the cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are set in the center. Let cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

I marred my ex-husband in September of 1998.  That Christmas, my now ex-mother-in-law sent a care package, containing the best banana bread I’ve ever tasted, pumpkin bread, bon bons, and the ultimate pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  She was kind enough to send me the recipes for all of them, minus the banana bread.  Wench.

I made these recently for a bunch of friends and they couldn’t get enough. I understand that.  🙂

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup pumpkin (*not* pumpkin pie filling!)
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• OPTIONAL: 1 cup nuts

Preheat over to 375.  Cream butter, sugar, vanilla, and pumpkin.  Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and chocolate chips (and nuts if adding.) Drop on greased baking sheet about 2″ apart.

Bake about 15 minutes. Makes roughly 4 dozen … depending on how big you make them.

Growing up, I wasn’t a fan of any Asian foods except a little Chinese.  Pork Fried  Rice is still a favorite.  As I’ve aged, I’ve branched out with Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, etc.  I keep finding new things that I end up adoring.

One of those things has been Thai Sticky Rice.  I’d had plenty of Thai food, but have always skipped dessert.  Usually because I’m too damn full, but rice for dessert never sounded appealing.  Then a friend had me try it a few years back and I realized …

I was an idiot.  A HUGE idiot.

I’m very lucky that I have two Asian markets not far from my house, so finding sticky rice (or sweet rice) wasn’t a problem.  This is one of the easiest, tastiest, completely awesome-est desserts you can make.  I crave this stuff too much to always eat out, so I’m happy this is so easy to make.

Ingredients:

1 cup Sticky Rice

1 cup Coconut Milk

2 tbsp Sugar

Pinch of salt

Now, I do not have a rice cooker.  But this can easily be made in the microwave and doesn’t take a lot of time.

Put the rice into a microwavable bowl.  Cover the rice with about a cup or so of warm water (water level should be above the rice) and let this soak for at least 10 minutes.  After it’s done soaking (and don’t skip that step!), put in the microwave, cover with a plate or whatever, and cook for 3 minutes on high.

Take out and stir it well.  Put it back in for another 3 minutes.  Keep cooking at 3 minute intervals until all the rice is cooked – looks translucent.

While that’s cooking, you can prepare the coconut milk.  Usually found in cans, shake it up a bit first.  Pour the coconut milk into a small saucepan, on medium heat.  Add the sugar and salt and allow to cook for a little bit.  DO NOT BOIL.

When the rice is done, pour the coconut milk in with the rice.  It’ll absorb quickly and be a bit mushy.  This is what you want it to look like.

I like it with mango, but feel free to add whatever or nothing at all.  This is so easy and so awesome.

I love me some cheesecake.  I try not to eat a whole lot of it because, well, I don’t need all the calories!  But this is a very tasty recipe that got the compliment that I should be selling it.  I’ll take that!

This was the first time using my spring-form pan, which worked beautifully.  Be sure to read through thoroughly and at then end, you’ll find tips on how to keep your cheesecake from cracking in the middle – a very common problem for everyone.

Ingredients for Cheesecake:

• 6 eggs
• 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 – 8oz packages of cream cheese
• 1/2 pint heavy cream
• 8oz sour cream
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp flour

Ingredients for Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups of graham crackers, crushed
• 6 tbsp melted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 325°.  I’ll say here that having a standing mixes is much easier than using any other method.  Also, this recipe will fill a 9″ diameter, 3″ deep spring-form pan.  If you are going to use something smaller, like a standard round cake pan – divide the recipe in half, or make mini cheesecakes in a muffin tin with the excess.

TIP:  Use room temperature ingredients, especially the cream cheese and eggs.

Mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, heavy cream, sugar, flour, and vanilla extract.  Once it becomes smooth, add the eggs – one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl.  Try to avoid beating air into the mixture.  At the end, mix in the juice of the lemon.

It should look pretty much like this:

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