Category Archives: Talk Desserts To Me

I ♥ When You Talk Desserts To Me | Volume #7 | Bourbon Soaked Cherries and Dark Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

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My wife, Stacey, knows that I have a love affair with ice cream and, lucky for me, she gladly feeds into it even though she doesn’t like ice cream! Every other week it seems I am surprised by one or two of those personals cups of Ben and Jerry’s in our freezer and I am sure it was this love affair that was the inspiration for this recipe of homemade ice cream.

The fresh cherries soaked in bourbon play well together with the sweet cream and, a bite of a bigger-than-average dark chocolate chip, it’s Heavenly. I like to save a couple of those chocolate morsels for the very end of a bowl, but if I’m eating with a cone I enjoy it as it comes.

The choice of ingredients came from what we had around our house at the time (including some left over bourbon from a camping trip). Stacey loves to use ingredients that are either left-overs or left-outs, creating memorable desserts like this pie.

Simple Homemade Ice Cream

 

Need:

  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk

How: Begin by freezing a container for your ice cream. Beat heavy cream until it is stiff. In a separate bowl add flavors and/or toppings to condensed milk (such as chocolate chips, roasted strawberries, cookie dough) then fold in whipped cream. Immediately freeze and serve when solid (4-6 hours) *I made the bourbon soaked cherries by just soaking freshly cut ( halves) dark cherries in bourbon for about an hour, gently drain bourbon and add the cherries and dark chocolate to the ice cream mixture.

 

Around our house we have a couple of rules: 1) take your time 2) speak your mind. They are good rules to live by, especially when you are enjoying this ice cream. The first bite makes you want to scream out “MMMmmm!” which is encouraged, especially when it’s followed by an uninhibited dance party.

I ♥ When You Talk Desserts To Me | Volume 6 | Lemon Ginger Cookies {flourless}

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My wife is quite the perfectionist. Being a photographer and blogger she is always thinking of great ideas to share with her readers or amazing images that she can capture with her camera. Most of the time these plans go off without a hitch, and sometimes they hit a snag. I have to admit it right now though, not all things that go haywire are her fault. I’m sure most of us know the feeling of needing more space, more tools, more time, it’s a universal thing and when I got home today to find a plate of lemon ginger cookies I thought to myself SWEET (pun intended ;-) ) but I took one look at Stacey and I knew all was not so sweet.

My darling Stacey was defeated, something between idea and creation had gone wrong. She explained how she couldn’t find the right ingredients at the store, especially the lack of crystallized ginger in our nearby stores. It was quite the tragedy in her eyes. However, when I bit into the cookie it tasted sweet and good. I really could not find the fault in the cookie, in fact, I ate four more.

The balance between lemon and ginger gives it a mighty snap, almost to the point of pucker sweet, but that’s what lemon lovers love the most, that moment of fresh lemon flavor. It took me a while to develop my lemon taste buds, but I am glad I did for this blog post alone :-)

I think we can all benefit from our defeats in some way or another, it makes us stronger, but it’s also wise to understand that, sometimes, we have to give up what might have been in order to really enjoy what is.

 

Lemon Ginger Cookies (flourless)

Need:

  • 2 Cups Rolled Oats
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter or coconut oil
  • 1 cup coconut flakes
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of ginger
  • fresh lemon zest

How:

Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Beat eggs and sugar together, slowly adding remaining ingredients. Teaspoon drops of mixture on pan with two inches between each cookie. Bake for ten minutes.

* I found the rolled oats to be okay, but I would have rather used ground almonds for more texture.

* Crystalized ginger would have been a better touch than ground ginger (as noted in Richard’s above thoughts).

Lemon Zest Icing:

Need:

  •  1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 lemons

How:

Mix powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice together and then add fresh lemon zest.

 

I ♥ When You Talk Desserts To Me | Volume 5 | Banana Pops

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To be completely honest I have never tried a frozen banana before. I know they are very popular at fairs and carnivals, but I always seem to end up with the beer and nachos, or a candied apple. So, it was with a particular excitement that Stacey and I went to the local grocery store to round-up the ingredients for this classic Summer treat.

It’s always fun walking into the grocery store together, if we’re not careful we will see something else that is tasty and end up with an entirely different plan then what we set out with. In fact, on this particular trip, we ended up with a big thing of Snapple Peach Tea, and we just couldn’t avoid the peaches and plums. But, when Stacey zeroed in on the dark chocolate chips (read the recipe below for more on that) I knew we were back on track.

What’s great about these particular chocolate covered bananas is that they are bite sized. A modern twist on the classic. Get a chance to sample toppings without having to eat three whole bananas? Bonus! And yes, you can go nuts (pun intended). We suggest getting playful in the kitchen by covering the chocolate with crumpled salty potato chips, cereal or smashed oreos.

 

Chocolate Covered Frozen Banana Pops {makes about 16 pops}

Need:

  • 3 Ripe bananas
  • 2 cups dark chocolate chips
  • coconut oil or canola oil (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
  • toppings such as coconut, nuts, graham cracker crumbs, pretzels, potato chips (funky) or sprinkles
  • sticks (I used stripey straws cut in half, but popsicles sticks, cake pop sticks or kabob skewers will do)

How:

Gather your topping ingredients and fill into small bowls or plates. Cut banana slices and prepare a parchment lined baking pan or tray. Skewer the bananas with your stick of choice. Begin melting dark chocolate with coconut oil at low- medium heat, stirring frequently until melted. Remove from heat and dip the bananas into the chocolate and then roll in toppings and then place on parchment paper, do this until your tray is full and stick in freezer for 2-4 hours.

* This is a fun project for your kids, but please do assist the little ones with the hot melted chocolate.

 

Perfect bite-size treat for a mid-afternoon snack, movie night with friends or for a kid’s birthday party.

I ♥ When You Talk Desserts To Me | Volume 4 | S’macks

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This last weekend Stacey and I went camping. We enjoyed the peace and quiet of nature, the smell of the campfire and the delicious gooey sweetness of s’mores. The combination of graham cracker, fire roasted marshmallow and chocolate has almost universal appeal. It’s got everything a sweet tooth could need. And, so long as the fire still burns at camp and supplies are available, then there can always be another s’more.

With the camping trip still fresh in our minds, Stacey wanted to create a dessert that gathered all the flavors of the campfire treat, but could be made at home. She called it a s’mack. It’s more portable than the original and tastes just as amazing. The different layering of a s’mack is an important key to its taste. Instead of sandwiching the marshmallow and chocolate between two graham cracker, she made a buttery soft graham cracker crust and then topped it with a toasted marshmallow and finished it with a dip in melted chocolate . Yes, it tastes as good as it sounds.

If you can’t make it to the wilderness, perhaps a s’mack will fill that desire.

 

S’macks

Need:

  • Milk Chocolate
  • Marshmallows
  • 7-9 Graham Crackers
  • 1/2 stick melted butter
  • 1/4 cup sugar

How:

Smash the graham crackers into a fine crumb mixture (you should have 1 1/2 cup of crumbs) in a bowl mix melted butter, sugar and graham cracker crumbs. In a lightly greased muffin pan, add the crumb mixture and fill to the top and then pack firmly with wet fingers. Bake at 375 for 6-7 mins. Gently remove from pan (I used a knife to lift them out of the pan) and allow to cool on rack. Then on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper place the graham cracker cups onto your sheet with two marshmallows on top. Lower the temperature of the oven and bake again, until marshmallows get lightly brown on top.

Begin making your melted chocolate to dip the bottom of your s’mack in. Temper chocolate ’till it is smooth. When chocolate is melted dip the bottoms in and set back on the parchment paper, when done dipping your desserts place in freezer or fridge to cool down quickly.

*Important note: do not add any water or chocolate will seize and become clumpy.

* I tested these treats in both baking cups and non-baking cups (straight in the greased pan) I found that the desserts were much more attractive and fun without the baking cup.

* You can also get fancy and try layering different ingredients a few suggestions: Mint chocolate, nutella, sliced almonds, smashes raspberries, orange zest, honey, and peanut butter.

 

Oh so good!

After finishing your first be sure to say to your loved one: “I’ll have s’more s’macks please”. Chances are you’ll get another. And, even if you don’t you still get points for being clever.

I ♥ When You Talk Desserts To Me | Volume 3 | Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes

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It’s a beautiful thing, waking up to a warm cup of coffee or, for the more adventurous, a cup of espresso. That instant kick to the brain helps drive the morning into the day. And, for those of us who relish the moment, the aroma alone kick starts the senses in anticipation of that special first sip.

And so, even though Stacey doesn’t like coffee, it was a deceleration of her love for me that got her inspired to whip up this delicious treat. If you have a coffee lover in your life, share a tiny indulgence such as these sweet shot of espresso cupcakes.

Sidenote: Stacey was not certain if the mug would shatter or break or what would happen, but she threw caution to the wind and it came out perfect.

 

Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes

Adapted recipe via BrownEyeBaker

Need:

  • 1-1/4 all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch of salt
  • ½ cup almond milk
  • ½ cup espresso
  • 1 teaspoons espresso powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (1 stick) softened unsalted butter
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • 1 egg
How:
Make your espresso and then set aside to cool down. Pre-heat oven to 350. Combine in a mixing bowl flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. Beat the butter along with brown and granulated white sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (4 mins). Add the egg then add half the milk, brewed coffee mixture and vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture, alternating with the rest of coffee and milk mixture (wet ingredients), ending with the flour mixture (dry ingredients). Bake for 15-18 mins or until toothpick runs clean.
You can then add them into lined baking pans or add them into espresso cups.
For the espresso cups only fill up 1/2 the amount of the cup, the mixture will bake for half the time, so keep an eye on your espresso cups.
Espresso Buttercream
Need:
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2½ cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoons espresso powder
  • pinch of salt
How:
Start with mixing espresso with the vanilla. Then in your stand-up mixer or bowl mix all ingredients (slowly adding in powdered sugar) on medium speed for 5 mins or until fluffy.

* Stacey baked with our espresso cups from here

I highly recommend confirming your vessel is oven safe or suitable for high temperatures.