Tag Archives: dessert

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Peanut butter and jelly….spread’em out. Whenever I hear those words, it takes me back to my days of cheerleading camp. I even find myself saying at my cheer practices now. Today’s recipe is part of the Fantastical Food Fight blogging group. Each month we’re given a theme – it could be an ingredient or a specific recipe. This month’s theme was Peanut Butter and Jelly. I was planning to make burgers with a PB&J twist, but life got in the way. This was my back-up plan.

My husband loves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and I knew these bars would be a hit! Now if I can just stay away from the container of them that’s taunting me every time I go into the kitchen. I did sneak a little taste when I was cutting them up and they’re full of peanut butter and jelly deliciousness. They have peanut butter shortbread crust, gooey jelly filling and then a crumbly top with honey-roasted peanuts. YUM!!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars | Join Us, Pull up a Chair #fantasticalfoodfight

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Twisted Sticky Caramel-Pecan Roll

I know the beginning of the year is usually a fresh start for everyone – me included – that’s why I made this last year. I’ve had this recipe saved for two years and I finally made it and it was delicious! I was a delicious treat for breakfast over the holidays and using pre-made pizza dough really saved on time! I loved the caramel glaze that went over it and all the twisted pieces were able to soak up the glaze… YUM!!

Twisted Sticky Caramel-Pecan Roll | Join Us, Pull up a Chair

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S’mores Cheesecakes

This past weekend was my husband’s family reunion. I always look to make something different and this recipe won out. I really was in the mood for cheesecakes and we have been waiting for fall to arrive, so we can hang out by the fire pit and have s’mores….so I decided to combine the two into this delicious recipe.

The chocolate ganache is so good and then with the roasted marshmallow on top…YUM! They didn’t get snatched how I hoped, but that only means we have more to snack on at home. I enjoyed eating them cold, but you could always pop them in the microwave to make the chocolate and marshmallow soften and get all gooey.

S'mores Cheesecakes | Join Us, Pull up a Chair

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Peach Blueberry Trifle

My family can’t get enough of peaches and blueberries this year. The peaches are so good! We had a family picnic earlier this month (yes, I’m just getting around to blogging about it) and I made this delicious trifle. I wanted something that was easy to transport since we had to drive from PA to NJ to the picnic. There’s no cooking involved and after you cut the fruit and cake, it comes together quickly.

It was a big hit! There was only a small bowl left after everyone had enjoyed dessert. I’ll definitely be making it again and switch out types of fruit depending on what is in season. I’m thinking it would be delicious with cinnamon baked apples.

Peach Blueberry Trifle | Join Us, Pull up a Chair

1/4 cup plus 2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 premade angel food cake
2 blocks lowfat cream cheese, softened at room temperature
2 cups heavy whipping cream, room temperature
3 cups blueberries
3 cups peaches, peeled and cubed (or sliced, whichever you prefer)

In a small saucepan, add the lemon juice, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water and heat over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and then remove from heat. Add in the vanilla extract and allow to cool.

Cut the cake into 1 inch slices and generously brush each side of the cake with the simple syrup mixture. Cut each cake slice into 1 inch cubes.

In a bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and 2/3 cup of sugar on medium speed until it is smooth. Slowly add in the heavy cream and beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is smooth. It should be the consistency of whipped cream.

To assemble the trifle, place 1/3 of the cake cubes on the bottom of the dish. Add a layer of blueberries, about a cup and top with a 1/3 of the cream. Spread the cream out evenly to the edges of the bowl. Top with 1/3 of the peaches and then add another layer of cake cubes. If you had leftover simple syrup, drizzle half of it over the cake cubes.

Repeat the process. Add a layer of blueberries, a layer of cream, layer of peaches and then top with the remaining cake cubes. Drizzle the remaining simple syrup over this layer. Finally top the cake with the last of the cream and the berries and peaches on top.

Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. This will allow the cream time to thicken. When you’re ready to serve, scoop out the trifle with a spoon into small (or large) dishes. Enjoy!

Source: Practically Functional 

Rich Chocolate Pudding – The Secret Recipe Club

It’s time for this month’s Secret Recipe Club reveal for my group. If you’re new and don’t want the the SRC is all about it, it’s a fun way to find other blogs. There’s four different groups made up of members from all over the world and we’re given an assignment each month from another blogger in our group. This month my assignment was Angels Homestead, penned by April. April shares recipes that lead to a simpler life and is also one of the hosts of the “Friday Frenzy” link party. April has allergies to several items, so it was great to find a resource for some dairy free recipes for me. Though….I made her recipe for rich chocolate pudding. 🙂

It was a great treat for my kids and my daughter said it was “so, so good.” That’s a win in my book! My little guy loved it and had it all over his face. I guess that’s one of the downsides of giving him a big bowl of pudding.

Rich Chocolate Pudding | Join Us, Pull up a Chair

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt
4 cups milk (I used 2%)

In a heavy saucepan, add the milk and mix in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 2 minutes and stir continuously. Remove the heat and divide into 6 individual bowls. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure to press the wrap to the top of the pudding to avoid getting a film on your pudding. Place in the refrigerate and chill until set. Enjoy!

Check out all the other great recipes in this month’s reveal, visit the link below!

Creamy Lime Bars – #FilltheCookieJar

I’ve missed the last few #FillTheCookieJar reveals, so I’m happy to be able to participate this month. The theme of this month’s Fill the Cookie Jar group is SUMMER! There’s so many possibilities with this theme that I had a hard time narrowing down a recipe. I started searching for something with limes since I had bought a two-pound bag to make margarita base, but then found this recipe for Creamy Lime Bars. Perfect!

I made the bars for my office’s “Grill & Fill”. It’s a little picnic to kick off the summer season and we get propane tanks filled for a great price. Just one of the perks of my new job! Everyone loved them and I had to steal one to save for my husband to be a taste-taster. They were creamy, the perfect amount of sweetness with the vanilla wafer crust and full of lime flavor. They almost reminded me of a margarita. I’ll definitely be making them again!

Creamy Lime Bars - #FilltheCookieJar | Join Us, Pull up a Chair

20 vanilla wafers, finely crushed
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes.
8 oz low-fat cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp flour
3 Tbsp grated lime zest, divided
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp baking powder

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8 inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang to make handles. Lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Combine the crushed vanilla wafers, 1/2 cup flour and brown sugar. Using a pastry knife, cut in the cold butter until the mixtures resembles coarse crumbs. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes.

While the crust is baking, cream together the cream cheese and sugar with a hand mixer until well blended. Add in the eggs one a time, then the vanilla, flour and baking powder. Stir in 1 tablespoon of zest and the lime juice. Pour this mixture over the crust.

Return to the oven and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, overnight is better. When ready to serve, remove from the pan and cut into squares. Spring the remaining lime zest over the bars. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Source: Our Best Bites

Be sure to check out all the other “Summer” Fill the Cookie Jar recipes in the link below!

Caramel Delight Bars

I had originally planned to make these bars for May’s Fill the Cookie Jar group but with Cooper being sick and spending some time in the hospital, I didn’t get a chance. I finally made them over the weekend and they were so good! So some of you might know these as samoas that the Girl Scouts sell, but I’ve only know them as caramel delights. I love being able to make a knock-off version at home and these didn’t disappoint! You can’t go wrong with dark chocolate, coconut, caramel and a shortbread cookie. YUM!!

Caramel Delight Bars | Join Us, Pull up a Chair

Cookie base :
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 egg
1/2 top vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt

Toppings:
3 cups shredded sweetened coconut
12 ozs chewy caramels, unwrapped
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp whole milk or heavy cream
10 ozs dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking pan and set aside. To make the cookie base, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. At low-speed, add in the flour half cups at a time until the mixture is crumbly. Press the dough into the prepared pan into an even pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the base is set and the edges are lightly browned. Cool completely.

While the base is cooling, drop the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Spread the coconut on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Toast for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes until that coconut is golden. Place the baking sheet in a wire rack to completely cool.

Place the unwrapped caramels in a large bowl that is microwave safe. Add in the milk and salt. Cook on high in that microwave for 3-4 minutes, stir occasionally to help the caramels melt. Once the caramel is melted, fold in the toasted coconut with a spatula. Drop dollops of the coconut caramel over that cookie base and spread evenly. Let topping set until it’s cooled.

Once the topping had cooled, remove from pan and place on a large plate. Cut 30 bars using a pizza cutter.

Melt the chocolate chips in a small bowl. I had morsels and needed to add a teaspoon of coconut oil to thin it out. Dip the bottom of each bar into the chocolate and place on a piece of parchment paper. Continue until all bars have been dipped in chocolate. Transfer the remaining chocolate to a sandwich baggie and snip the corner. Drizzle the bars with the chocolate. Store the bars in the refrigerator until they’re ready to be served.

Source: Nutmeg Nanny

Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake Tart

This year was the first time I’ve hosted Easter and I have to say it was a success! I broke tradition and made a couple new side dishes and a delicious ham with a Riesling-peach mango glaze. As I’m hosting more family dinners, I’m finding that my entertaining supplies are limited….I don’t have salt and pepper shakers! Or enough chairs for our entire family so I ended up sitting on one of our folding chairs, you know the ones that you take to your kids sporting events. So if anyone wants to know what to get me for Mother’s Day, salt & pepper shakes, gravy boat, folding wooden chairs and a new ice bucket with tongs. 🙂

This tart is pretty easy to make and can be prepped ahead of time. I make the crust in the morning and the cheesecake filling and then prepared it right before we were ready for dessert. Well…that was after I had to make a second crust. I had the first crust – it was gorgeous, perfect golden brown – cooling on the kitchen counter. My husband moved it to the dining room table so I had room to finish my prep for dinner and our puppy thought it would be a good afternoon snack. OMG…I almost died when I saw that she had eaten most of it and there were puffed pastry crumbs all over room. So needless to say, luckily I had a second sheet of puffed pastry in the freezer that I thawed while we were eating dinner to make and cool while we cleaned up. Our puppy was fine and I’m sure it won’t be the last time she swipes something else off the table.

The final result turned out great! The fresh raspberries, the lemon cheesecake filling and the crisp crust. YUM! If you’re not a fan of raspberries, you could easily substitute them with blueberries or strawberries or even combine all three berries!

Raspberry Lemon Tart | Join Us, Pull up a Chair

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
1 egg
4 oz. cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1/3 cup + 2 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp heavy cream
1/3 cup lemon curd
1 pint raspberries
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Lightly flour your counter and unfold the thawed out puff pastry sheet. Gently roll the pastry into a 10×11 inch rectangle and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Brush a little water on the edges and fold the edges to create a crust.

Poke holes all over the center of the tart with a fork. Whip the egg with a little water to create an egg wash and brush the entire crust and then sprinkle 2 teaspoons of sugar over the center. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. The center will have puffed up, press it down with the back of a spoon. Transfer to a wire rack to completely cool.

While the crust is cooling, you can make the filling. It can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated until you’re ready to build the tart. In the medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar with a hand-mixture until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Add in the heavy cream and mix for another. Fold in the lemon curd.

When you’re ready to assemble the tart, carefully spread the lemon cheesecake mixture over the crust. Arrange the raspberries over the cheesecake mixture. Warm the raspberry jam slightly and drizzle over the top of the tart. Lightly dust the top of the crust with powdered sugar and serve.

Source: Susi’s Kochen Und Backen Adventures

Puff Pastry Apple Strudel

I’m so disappointed we didn’t get a chance to go apple picking this year. We’ve been busy most weekends and I wanted to go last weekend, but the orchard that we go to was picking everything they could before we had the first frost. I guess I’ll just have to buy a large basket to make applesauce for the kids.

I did have a couple apples laying around that needed to be used up. I looked through some of my many cookbooks and found this recipe for an apple strudel using puff pastry. Genius! That’s so much easier than phyllo dough, which I’m not a fan of. This strudel was so simple to make and took no time at all! It was also devoured in no time at all too! I share a couple slices with some friends who saw me sneak peek it on Facebook. I have another piece of frozen pastry and I know I’ll be making it again once I get more apples.

1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 pound apples, peeled, quartered and thinly sliced
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1 Tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 13×13 inch square.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Add in the sliced apples, lemon juice and cinnamon, combine. Brush the pastry with 3 tablespoons of melted butter and top with the bread crumbs. Leave a 2 inch border around the edge. Next spread the apple mixture over the bread crumbs.

Fold the long sides of the dough over the filling and start to roll from the short side. Seal the edge and place edge down on the baking sheet. Brush with remaining butter and sprinkle with sugar. Cut four slits into the top to let steam escape.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Allow to cool to room temperature before slicing.

Source: The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook

Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits – Secret Recipe Club

It’s the second Monday of the month and you know what that means….it’s SECRET RECIPE CLUB time!! I’ve participated in the group for more than 2 years and I love it. It’s a great way to meet new bloggers and try new recipes – it has taken me outside of my comfort zone with my cooking and baking and I’ve made a bunch of new friends this way too!

This month my assignment was This Mama Cooks. Anne-Marie’s blog focuses on healthy recipes and lifestyle tips for busy moms and their families – perfect for me since I’m a busy mom and always trying to find new way to eat healthier and incorporate more veggies into our diet. There’s a bunch of gluten-free and milk-free recipes too. The only allergy I have to worry about is crab since my husband is very allergic to it and we haven’t introduced it to our kids because of the severity of his allergy. I definitely want to try a few of the milk-free recipes…I love the use of tofu in many of her recipes. After going through all the recipes on the site, I decided on strawberry cheesecake parfaits. The recipe was super simple and perfect timing since strawberries are starting to be in season in PA. It made a great dessert and topped off a fun weekend of family time. Plus Madeline was able to help me assemble them!

1 lb strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 Tbsp sugar
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 cups whipped topping, thawed
2/3 cup of graham cracker crumbs

In a small bowl, combine the sliced strawberries and tablespoon of sugar. In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, yogurt, confectioners sugar and almond extract. Fold in 1/2 cup of the whipped topping.

To assemble the parfaits, place a layer of strawberries at the bottom of the dish, next layer some of the cream cheese filling and top with graham cracker crumbs. Continue layering until you reach the top of the dish. Place a dollop of whipped topping on to finish your parfait.