Cara's Yummy Recipes » Desserts

Red White and Blue Star Cookies

Cara — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 22:57:39 +0000

Ingredients

5 cups cake flour (not self-rising), plus more for dusting surfaces
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
4 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons heavy cream, plus more for brushing
3/4 cup raspberry jam
3/4 cup blueberry jam
2 tablespoons sanding sugar (red, white and blue if you can find it)

Directions

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Cream butter and granulated sugar, with a mixer on medium speed, until pale and fluffy. Beat in yolks and vanilla until well combined. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with cream and beating well after each addition. Shape dough into 4 disks, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or up to 3 days).

On floured parchment, roll 1 disk of dough into a 1/8-inch-thick rectangle. Repeat with remaining disks. Stack sheets of dough and parchment, and refrigerate for 1 hour or freeze for 30 minutes.

Spread raspberry jam on 1 sheet of dough, blueberry jam on another. Top each with a plain sheet of dough. Refrigerate for 1 hour or freeze for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut out cookies using a 2 1/2-inch star-shaped cutter, and space 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush with cream, and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze for 15 minutes.

Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden, 16 to 20 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks, and let cool completely. If desired, bake dough scraps.

Drunken Berry Dessert

Cara — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 22:51:08 +0000

Ingredients

2 tablespooons sugar
2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur, such as Grand Marnier
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered if large
1 cup raspberries (4 ounces)
1 cup blackberries (4 ounces)
1 cup blueberries (5 ounces)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, torn

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar and liqueur. Gently fold in strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and mint. Serve immediately (or cover and refrigerate, up to 4 hours). Serve alone, or with pound cake and chocolate sauce, or with ice cream, or any other way you can think of.

Lemon Cake

Cara — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 19:32:55 +0000

Ingredients

Cake

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pans
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeded

Frosting

1 cup cold butter
3 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-by-2-inch cake pans, tapping out excess flour. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time. Beat in 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined.

Divide batter between pans; smooth tops. Bake until cakes pull away from sides of pans, 32 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto a wire rack.

While cakes are baking, bring remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a saucepan. Add lemon slices and simmer 25 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer lemon slices to a waxed-paper-lined plate. Stir remaining 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice into syrup.

Using a toothpick, poke holes in warm cakes on rack. Brush with lemon syrup. Let cool completely.

While cakes are cooling, make frosting. Combine butter, sugar and salt and beat until well combined. Add lemon juice, zest, and vanilla and continue to beat for another 3 to 5 minutes or until creamy.

Frost cooled cakes and top with candied lemon slices.

Coleman’s Favorite Chocolate Pie

Cara — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 01:24:01 +0000

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon cocoa
1/3 cup warm water
1 ounce semi or bitter sweet chocolate
2 cups half and half, divided
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

Whisk together sugar, cocoa and warm water. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil at medium low/low. Stir in chocolate and 1 3/4 cups half and half. Mix together cornstarch and 1/4 cup half and half, then stir in. Cook over medium/low heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Reduce to low and stir 1 minute more. Take off heat and stir in vanilla. Pour into prebaked pie crust and cover with saran wrap immediately.

Chocolate Nut Pie

Cara — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 16:09:09 +0000

Ingredients

4 eggs
1-1/4 cups light-colored corn syrup
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
Dash salt
1-1/4 cups salted mixed nuts
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate pieces
1 tablespoon shortening
Sweetened Whipped Cream (optional)

Directions

Make Pate Brisee.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll chilled pate brisee from center to edges into a circle about 13 inches in diameter. Line a 9×2-inch round fluted deep tart pan that has a removable bottom with the pastry circle. Trim pastry even with top edge of pan.

For filling: In a large bowl, beat eggs with a whisk. Whisk in corn syrup, sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the nuts and 1/2 cup of the chocolate pieces. Pour filling into pastry-lined tart pan. Place tart pan in a foil-lined shallow baking pan. To prevent overbrowning, cover pie edge with foil.

Bake pie for 25 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes more or until center seems set when gently shaken. Cool on a wire rack. Serve or cover and refrigerate within 2 hours.

In a small saucepan, combine the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate pieces and the shortening. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted. Cool slightly.

To serve, remove side of tart pan. Carefully cut pie into wedges; transfer to dessert plates. Transfer melted chocolate to a clean, small heavy plastic bag; seal bag. Snip a small hole in one corner of the bag; drizzle melted chocolate mixture over pie wedges. If desired, top each serving with Sweetened Whipped Cream.

Dark Chocolate Mousse

Cara — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 03:51:29 +0000

Ingredients

8 ounces Ghiradelli 60% cocoa bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
2 tablespoons Hersheys cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
5 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon brandy
2 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream, chilled

Directions

Combine chocolate, cocoa powder, espresso powder, water, and brandy in a medium heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from heat.

Whisk egg yolks, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, and salt in a medium bowl until mixture lightens in color and thickens slightly, about 30 seconds. Pour melted chocolate into egg mixture and whisk until combined. Let cool until just warmer than room temperature, 3 to 5 minutes.

Using electric mixer and clean bowl, whip egg whites at medium-low speed until frothy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, increase mixer speed to medium-high, and whip until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk last few strokes by hand, making sure to scrape any unwhipped whites from bottom of bowl.

Using whisk, sir about 1/4 of whipped egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten it; gently fold in remaining egg whites with rubber spatula until just a few white streaks remain.

Using electric mixer, whip heavy cream at medium speed until it begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and whisk until soft peaks form when beaters are lifted, about 15 seconds more. Using a rubber spatula, fold whipped cream into mousse until no white streaks remain.

Spoon mousse into 6-8 dessert bowls. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 4 days. To serve, allow mousse to soften to room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with whipped cream, chocolate shavings (shave a bar of chocolate with a carrot peeler) and raspberries.

Aunt Suzie’s Deep Dark Chocolate Cake

Cara — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 16:31:20 +0000

Ingredients

1 pack Devil’s Food cake mix
4 eggs
1 pack chocolate instant pudding
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup oil
1 pack chocolate chips

Directions

Mix together. Put in cake pan. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.

Berry Topped Lemon Tarts

Cara — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:16:03 +0000

Ingredients

Crust

2 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold butter

Topping

3 cups fresh fruit (recipe calls for cranberries, blueberries or raspberries could also be good)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup water

Filling

5 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cups lemon juice
1/3 cup butter, softened
4 teaspoons grated lemon peel

Garnish

1 medium lemon, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

Directions

Makes 8.

Preheat oven to 350.

Crust: In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir until dough forms a ball. Divide into eight portions; press each onto the bottoms and up the sides of eight 4-in tart pans. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

Topping: In a large saucepan, combine the berries, sugar and water. Cover over medium heat until berries have popped, about 20 minutes. Transfer berry topping to another bowl; refrigerate until serving.

Filling: Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, whisk eggs. Stir in the sugar, lemon juice, butter and lemon peel. Cook and stir over medium heat for 20-25 minutes or until filling is thickened and reaches 160. Transfer to a small bowl; cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Spoon filling into tart shells. Chill, uncovered until set.

Garnish: In a small saucepan, bring lemon slices, sugar and water to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until lemon is tender. Cut slices in half; chill.

Just before serving, spoon berry topping over tarts. Garnish with lemon slices.

Apple Crisp

Cara — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 05:00:43 +0000

Ingredients

Filling

2 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples; peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinammon
2-3 tablespoons flour

Crust

1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter

Directions

Heat oven to 375. Butter an 8×8 in baking dish.

Mix filling ingredients in a large bowl and let sit 15 minutes. In a medium bowl or food processor mix crust ingredients until butter is thoroughly mixed into flour.

Put apple mixture into baking dish and sprinkle with crust mixture. Bake for 45-50 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie

Cara — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 02:42:45 +0000

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) Libby’s Pumpkin
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 425.

Make pate brisee. Place pie dough in pie pan.

Mix sugar, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a small bowl. Beat eggs in a large bowl (i.e. mixing bowl). Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie crust.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes or until knife inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool 2 hours, then serve immediately or cover with saran wrap and refrigerate.