Cara's Yummy Recipes » Desserts

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

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.

Pecan Pie

Cara — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 02:35:47 +0000

Ingredients

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark Karo syrup
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1.5 cups (6 ounces) pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Make pate brisee. Place pie dough in pie pan.

Beat eggs slightly with a fork in a medium bowl. Add sugar, Karo syrup, butter and vanilla; stir until blended. Stir in pecans. Pour into pie crust.

Bake 55-60 minutes or until knife inserted into the middle of the pie comes out clean. Cool before serving.

TIP: Pie is done when center is 200 degrees and center springs back slightly when tapped.

Peach Crisp

Cara — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 20:13:15 +0000

Ingredients

* 2 1/2 pounds peaches peeled and pitted
* 2 tablespoons corn starch
* 1 cup flour
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/2 cup butter

Directions

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

Slice peaches and corn starch into a bowl and mix thoroughly. Put into baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Cut in butter until well mixed. Sprinkle over peaches. Bake for 45-50 minutes.

Fluffy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cara — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 01:45:47 +0000

Ingredients

2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 12 oz bag of chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 375.

Beat shortening, butter, sugar and brown sugar until fluffy. Mix in vanilla and eggs. In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to wet ingredients and mix. Add chocolate chips. Drop onto baking sheet and cook for 9-11 minutes.\

Red Velvet Cake

Cara — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 19:31:04 +0000

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3½ cups cake flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch process)>
1½ teaspoons salt
2 cups canola oil
2¼ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) red food coloring
1½ teaspoons vanilla
1¼ cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons baking soda
2½ teaspoons white vinegar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place teaspoon of butter in each of 3 round 9-inch layer cake pans and place pans in oven for a few minutes until butter melts. Remove pans from oven, brush interior bottom and sides of each with butter and line bottoms with parchment.

Whisk cake flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl.

Place oil and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well-blended. Beat in eggs one at a time. With machine on low, very slowly add red food coloring. (Take care: it may splash.) Add vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches. Scrape down bowl and beat just long enough to combine.

Place baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar and add to batter with machine running. Beat for 10 seconds.

Divide batter among pans, place in oven and bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pans 20 minutes. Then remove from pans, flip layers over and peel off parchment. Cool completely before frosting.