Desserts Archives - Page 39 of 47 - What the Forks for Dinner?

Pistachio Cranberry Crack

Pistachio Cranberry Crack

DISCLAIMER: I will not be held responsible for the amount of this you will want to eat!!!!!

This is the most addictive thing I have ever made……..hence the name. Seriously, I could not get enough. Tim and I almost made ourselves sick eating it…….it was that good!!!!

I know Christmas is over, but the Holiday season is not………not quite yet. I am sure many of you still have another Christmas or two, and there is still New Years Eve. Make this, take this, be the star……..if after you make it, there is any left to take…..lol.

Having all things I like…….dried cranberries, pistachios, white chocolate……..heaven……..I sorta sang that last word.

I have seen recipes with saltine crackers as a base and skimmed by them, saltines are something I am not overly fond of. They remind me of being a kid…….when we were sick we got saltines and flat 7up. But, they add the perfect touch of salty crunch to this recipe. A quick brown sugar, butter toffee over the saltines, then white chocolate topped with the cranberries and pistachios………salty, sweet, tart, nutty…….and in one bite! As if you can only eat one bite!

Pistachio Cranberry Crack

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Author: Marty Boyd
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 24 servings 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: Bake
Cuisine: American

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Ingredients

Scale

40 Saltine Crackers
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 bags (12-ounces each) white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon oil (I used coconut but any oil will do)
1 bag (5-ounces) dried cranberries, chopped
1/2 cup pistachios ,chopped

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 400.
Line a jelly roll pan with aluminum foil and grease with cooking spray.
Arrange the saltines, in a single layer; set aside.
In a small saucepan combine butter and light brown sugar; cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until butter is melted.
Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil; continue to cook, stirring until it turns a caramel color; about 1 minute.
Remove from heat and pour over the crackers.
The crackers will start to move around slightly but you can push them back into place.
Bake in 400* 4 to 5 minutes, or until mixture is bubbly.Remove from oven and set aside.
Place chocolate chips and oil in a microwave proof bowl.
Microwave in minute intervals until the mixture is just melted. Remove from the microwave and continue stirring until all the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth.
Pour half of the melted chocolate over the crackers and smoothing with an offset spatula. Let stand 1 minute.
Pour the rest of the melted chocolate over the first layer and smooth it out again using an offset spatula.
Add pistachios and dried cranberries on top. Press down slightly to make sure the adhere to the chocolate.
Place in the freezer or refrigerator until solid and cold. The freezer will work faster.
Break up into pieces.

Keywords: dried cranberries, saltine crackers, toffee, white chocolate, dessert

Mini Palmiers

Mini Palmiers

French translation …..Palm tree……..hmmmm……not quite sure about that, but what I am sure about is these are the best little treats for……..…well anytime and I say anytime because they are so damn easy to make!

2 ingredients …….that right just two!!!!

Made from puff pastry…….dough and butter that has been rolled and folded, to make layer,upon layer, upon layer…….. X 100 of flakey yummy buttery dough.

Now, if want to be all fancy schmancy, go ahead and make the pastry yourself……..I’m sure you can google a recipe…….but, if want all the best of pastry with no fuss, Pepperidge Farm is the way to go. It’s ready all ready……… they do all the hard work and you get all the glory.

Turbinado sugar is the other ingredient. I have mention this in several of my dessert recipes. It has become my go to sugar for desserts. It gives a nice crunchy layer to anything sweet.

So, you all know, I’m about the lesson, bout the lesson , no guessing………gee whiz I have been singing way too much lately…………. so here’s the lesson…………turbinado sugar is made by taking the first pressing of juice from sugar cane,slowly heating it to evaporate the water out of it which causes it to crystallize.The crystals are then spun in turbines or centrifuges.

This process is a big contrast to white sugar which is often much more heavily processed, and is generally made white by using a decolorizing filter like bone char to remove its natural color. Likewise, much brown sugar is actually white sugar with molasses added back into it to color it.

Some believe that turbinado sugar is a healthier alternative to other sweeteners because it undergoes less processing, and so retains more of the nutrients found in sugar cane juice. This method of production makes it suitable for vegans, since no animal byproducts are used. A teaspoon contains about a fair amount of calcium and potassium in addition to a negligible amount of iron. A cup of this sweetener also contains magnesium, phosphorus, and sodium.
So, while some argue about using sugar perhaps this is a case to use in moderation………like I know anything about moderation…….ha ha!

Now, I know Walmart is a long way from being French, but the first time I had a Palmier was from the deli/bakery at Walmart. It was awesome, flaky, sugary, and a little sticky and the things that make pastry delicious. I would stop and get them frequently on Fat Friday’s ……..that’s Tim and my days of the week to eat whatever……no holding back………not unlike some other days but still it, has been dubbed as such by the self proclaimed queen of making shit up………Me!!!!!

Which bring me to this recipe.I have visions of them being a nice addition to a Christmas cookie tray, as a potluck take along, or for that I need a dessert quick thing your husband or child just told you about……….you know that last minute panic deal!

But what I really like is ………..my own Palmiers anytime I want……but mini…….so they are really cute and absolutely perfect with a cup of coffee or tea.

So, walk don’t run and get the pastry and turbinado sugar to try these easy two ingredient Palmiers.

Mini Palmiers

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Author: Marty Boyd
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 32 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: Bake
Cuisine: American

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Ingredients

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1/2 – 3/4 cup turbinado sugar
1 package Pepperidge Farm puff-pastry sheets,thawed

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Instructions

Heat oven to 400*
Sprinkle 2 tablespoon of sugar on your work surface. Unfold pastry working with one sheet at a time, keeping the other sheet cover to prevent it from drying out.
Place unfold sheet on the sugar. Roll it to an even thickness. Sprinkle it with 2-3 tablespoons of the sugar, pressing into the dough slightly.
Starting at one long side of the rectangle, roll the pastry toward the center of the sheet, stopping at the middle. Repeat with the opposite long side, so the rolls meet. Trim the ends.
Cut the roll into equal pieces. I find that dividing the roll in half, then the halves in half and half again is the easier way to have all even slices.Place slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them 1 inch apart. I flattened my slightly before sprinkling with more of the sugar.
Bake until golden and puffed, 20 to 23 minutes. Remove from oven and flip palmers over. They should have a nice caramelized bottom. Let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. They can be served warm or at room temperature.

Keywords: puff pastry, make ahead, easy, 2 ingredient, cookie

Caramel Pecan Apple Pie Cups

Caramel Pecan Apple Pie Cups

I made Tim and I’s Thanksgiving feast……..the Sunday before Thanksgiving…….but we needed dessert.
I didn’t want to make whole pie ..……Caramel Pecan Apple Pie Cups!

We both are huge fans of dessert, we have it almost every night……..which is why we will be starting a Health page come January 1, 2015.

Although, in the coming year we will be changing some of our dessert ways, it was a Holiday and well, it’s not a Holiday without dessert, and Thanksgiving needs pie……with ice cream……and caramel sauce, with pecans and caramel in the pie, and……well, you get the idea.

I originally was going to wrap the apples with the pie crust and color egg wash red so they looked like apples, but time was running short and I did not have the time to be that crafty…..maybe next year!

Individual pies would be good……..custard cups could hold them and I could cover them with pie crust. I think I have mentioned before that in the world of pie and pie crust, my Mother was the Queen……she made the best pies ever, and her crust was flaky and perfect. I wish I would have had her teach me how she did it.

Since my pie crust is ……well, less than perfect…….I buy my crust. Besides it’s easy to have on hand for an “I need a pie now emergency”!!!!!!!

I peeled and cored the apples, dunked them in lemon juice, rolled them in a sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon mixture, put them custard cups, filled them with a caramel, pecan mixture, covered them with crust, brushed them with cream, sprinkled them with sugar and baked them……..whew!!!!!

Now, a really cool thing happen to them after I baked them. I wanted to make them slightly fancy, so I cut a cute little leaf in the center of each crust and placed it on the top. When they came out of the oven the little leaf had fallen inside so it looked like a little volcano……..great spot to put the ice cream………I know right! So, the ice cream kind melted into the apple………it was sooooooo good and the caramel sauce on top……….heaven in a custard cup.

This is one of those recipes that you can adjust to the number of people you are serving, so if it’s only two like us you can make just two. It’s nice also that there is no “his piece is bigger than mine” argument if you have kids.

Caramel Pecan Apple Pie Cups make a yummy addition to a Holiday or any meal that begs for an apple pie dessert ……..or if you are just in the mood for pie!

Caramel Pecan Apple Pie Cups

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Author: Marty Boyd
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: Bake
Cuisine: American

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Ingredients

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4 large apples ( your favorite), peeled and cored
1 ready made pie crust
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup kraft caramel bits
1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
Vanilla Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce for topping

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Mix the granulated sugar, corn starch, apple pie spice and salt in a shallow dish.
Juice the lemon into a small bowl. Dip each apple in the lemon juice and then roll peeled and cored apples in the sugar mixture and set in oven safe custard cups sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Mix caramel bits and pecans into the remaining sugar mixture. Stuff into the prepared apples, dividing evenly between them.
Cut circles from the pie crust that are about 2 inches larger than the top of your custard cups. If desired you can cut a decorative whole in the center of each circle. Place pie circles over the tops of the apples, covering the apple completely and sealing to the custard cup. Add scrapes of pie crust to form an edge. If you have cut a decorative opening, place the cut out over the opening, do not seal. If you did not cut an opening cut slits for steam to escape.
Brush the heavy cream over each apple cup and sprinkle the the crust with the turbinado sugar.
Place custard cups on a lined cookie sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the apple is tender.
Let cool for 10 minutes. Serve topped with ice cream and caramel sauce.

Keywords: apples, ice cream, caramel, pecans, single serving size, pie