Tag Archive for "dessert" - Simple Everyday Food

key lime pie bars

Posted by :Amy On : June 12, 2013

Making pies can be such a daunting task. First you have to make the crust, then you have to make the filling.. then depending on what kind of pie you’re making, you have to either make some sort of a meringue or a pie crust lattice and make sure that looks nice and pretty. Every step requires much diligence to make sure the entire pie turns out nice and presentable in the end.

Talk about pressure – if the whole pie doesn’t turn out to be as photogenic as you imagined it to be, you’re either left with nothing to show for, or you’ll just have to try to capture the best angle of your pie.

For those reasons, I haven’t been brave enough to tackle a pie yet – maybe I can try to check that off of my to-do list this summer during my break from school.

On the other hand, cookies, bars, cupcakes, truffles are much easier to make. If some don’t turn out as pretty as you hoped, at least you still got a bunch more to choose from to be part of your picture.

That being said, I opted for some easy key lime pie bars instead of making a whole pie. When you think of summer, you think of key lime pies – they’re light, tart, tangy, and sweet all at the same time.

Waiting for these babies to cool in the fridge was probably the most difficult part, but the end result was totally worth the wait!

key lime pie bars

2013-06-06 19:34:29

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Ingredients

2 cups finely crushed gingersnap crumbs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
4 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
4 large egg yolks
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup key lime juice
2 teaspoons lime zest, plus more for garnishing

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9" cake pan with foil, leaving some overhanging on the sides and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.

For the crust

Using a food processor, pulverize the gingersnap cookies into fine crumbs.
Pour crumbs into a medium bowl, combine with melted butter.
Press firming into cake pan. Make sure the crumbs are evenly distributed throughout. Bake for 10 minutes.

While the crust is in the oven, make the filling

Using a handheld mixer (I was lazy and used an electric stand mixer), beat cream cheese on high until smooth. Slowly incorporate the egg yolks. Beat in the sweetened condensed milk, key lime juice, and lime zest. Mix until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Pour into pan with warm crust.
Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown slightly.
Remove from oven, garnish with additional lime zest if desired. Let the bars cool in the pan on a wired rack, then transfer them to the refrigerator for 3-4 hours or until completely chilled.
Once chilled, remove the bars from pan with the overhanging foil and cut into squares.

By Simple Everyday Food

Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

Simple Everyday Food https://www.simpleeverydayfood.com/

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This recipe is really easy – if making a key lime pie is this easy, I think it just might be the first ever pie I attempt to make. I’m not a fan of cheesecakes, but the little bit of cream cheese added in here gives it a creamy texture. The gingersnap cookie crust is also recommended over the traditional graham cracker crust, as the sweet/spiciness of crust goes very (very) well with the creamy tartness of the filling.

I brought this to work last weekend for a pot luck and received plenty of rave reviews. Everyone loved it, except for the hubs, who is a wimp when it comes to anything tart… he had an expression as if I made him eat a whole bag of Sour Patch Kids at once (I would’ve taken a picture of his facial expression if he would’ve let me). Trust me, these bars are delicious and are just perfect for summer! Plus it only requires a few ingredients and little baking time!

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

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strawberry chocolate chip cookies

Posted by :Amy On : June 4, 2013

Category: Desserts

Tags:cake mix, chocolate chips, cookies, dessert

On Friday, I finally broke down and got myself my very first (ever) cookie scoop!

Yes, all these years of baking and I’ve never owned a cookie scoop of any kind. I have never been a fan of using fancy kitchen gadgets when I cook – I grew up cooking with a few simple equipment, so I always stuck to the old fashion way of cooking.

Seriously though, all my mom had in the kitchen growing up were a few knifes, a cutting board, a wok, a spatula, a ladle, and a few pots. No fancy garlic presses, mango slicers, or onion choppers…

To this day, I still don’t own a lot of those fancy kitchen gadgets. I’m not caving into getting a garlic press, a mango slicer, or a juicer just yet, but I do own an onion chopper only because it was given to us as a wedding gift (which, has saved me a lot of tears lol). It also took me a few years to finally get a rolling pin. Before the rolling pin joined our family, I created my own cheap version of a rolling pin by wrapping a bottle of cooking wine in plastic wrap…

Anyway, now that I finally own a cookie scoop, I was determined to find a cookie recipe that required scooping cookie dough out of my mixer bowl this past weekend.

I’m not particularly fond of making desserts with premade cake mixes, but this recipe intrigued me so much that I just had to give it a try (and I was feeling a little lazy…). Plus, strawberries and chocolate are like a match made in heaven – just like cookies and milk, peanut butter and jelly, peanut butter and chocolate, chips and salsa, mashed potatoes and gravy, burger and fries…. need I go on?

I made these for a family cookout and they were a big hit. I added a few minutes onto the original cooking time stated on the site that I got the recipe from and they turned out soft and chewy. Plus, they were pink and were pretty to look at.

strawberry chocolate chip cookies

2013-06-04 11:29:44

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Ingredients

1 box strawberry cake mix
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix and baking powder. In a smaller bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, and vanilla extract. Add the egg mixture to the cake mixture. Gradually turn electric mixer to medium speed and thoroughly mix batter for about 3 minutes, or until all the ingredients are combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop rounded balls of cookie dough, about 1.5 tablespoons each, onto the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, making sure the cookies do not turn brown. Remove from oven and let cool. As the cookies cool, the tops may settle down a bit. If not, you can press them down gently with your fingers. Transfer cookies onto wired cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

By Simple Everyday Food

Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

Simple Everyday Food https://www.simpleeverydayfood.com/

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Surprisingly enough, these turned out to be pretty good. They were gone within minutes at our family cookout, and I think I may just have to make them again sometime to bring to work. Maybe I’ll make a double batch next time.

Who am I kidding, I just want to make more cookies just so I can use my new cookie scoop……

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

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frosted animal cracker truffles

Posted by :Amy On : May 14, 2013

Category: Desserts

Tags:dessert, no bake, truffles

At my job, my coworkers love finding a reason to do potlucks:

Birthdays.

Going away parties.

Holidays.

Big events (i.e. SuperBowl)

And oh why not, let’s just do a potluck just because.

Who doesn’t like potlucks? It’s the perfect opportunity for people to make their signature dish (or try making new ones) and bring recipes to share with others.

This week, I decided to try out a new truffle recipe – people at my job are suckers for sweets. Our nurses love to bake – cookies, cupcakes, cake, brownies, bread… you name it, someone in our ER can make it. Usually when we do a potluck, we have about 2-3 savory dishes and 5-6 different desserts.

Yeah, we’re probably not the healthiest bunch of healthcare workers lol.

I’m generally known to make something “different” when it comes to dessert – other people like making traditional, classic desserts like brownies or chocolate chip cookies. I like to make peppermint chocolate cupcakes, sugar cookie cupcakes with orange buttercream frosting, and gingerbread whoopie pies.

Last time I made some mint chocolate truffles and received rave reviews from my coworkers, so this time I decided to stick with truffles but change it up a bit. I saw this recipe a while back and have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to make them – well, I’m glad I didn’t disappoint my coworkers, because this was a big hit this past weekend too.

frosted animal cracker truffles

2013-05-14 16:16:17

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Ingredients

1-13 oz package of frosted animal crackers
6 oz light cream cheese, softened
8 oz almond bark
white chocolate chips or sprinkles for decorations

Instructions

Using a food processor, pulse the crackers until they turn into fine crumbs.
Add in the cream cheese and mix until thoroughly combined - you can use your hands, but I used an electric stand mixer to make the process easier.
Roll the mixture into 1" balls and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
While the cookie balls are chilling, make the candy coating: melt the almond bark in a double boiler over medium-low heat, stirring constantly to make sure you don't burn it.
Dip the cookie balls in the melted almond bark, one at a time, until evenly covered. Return back onto parchment paper and return into refrigerator and chill for another 30 minutes.
If desired, melt some white chocolate chips over a double boiler with a few drops of food coloring. Add the melted mixture into a Ziploc bag. Cut the corner of the bag with a pair of scissors and drizzle over truffle balls.

Notes

I dipped half of my cookie/cream cheese balls into the plain melted almond bark, then added a few drops of pink food coloring into the remaining melted almond bark and dipped the rest of the cookie balls in them to get truffles with two different colored coatings.

By Simple Everyday Food

Adapted from Cookin' Cowgirl

Simple Everyday Food https://www.simpleeverydayfood.com/

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Can you tell I was mildly obsessed at how pretty these truffles turned out?

I’m sure we’re going to have another potluck soon – I’m already searching for the next new dessert recipe I can try. Cupcakes? Cookies? Either way, I’m sure my coworkers will all gladly be my guinea pigs :)

Recipe adapted from Cookin’ Cowgirl

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gingerbread whoopie pies with vanilla buttercream filling

Posted by :Amy On : May 5, 2013

Category: Desserts

Tags:cookies, dessert, gingerbread, whoopie pies

So I thought I would satisfy my baking itch by making Bentley some doggie treats… yep I was wrong, because the first thing I did this morning after eating breakfast was to look for cookie recipes.

I have a very tasty soft and chewy gingersnap cookie recipe that I like to make during the holidays – I’m not saying these gingerbread cookies are bad – I’m just thinking next time I’m going to try making this recipe with the gingersnap recipe I already have. I think with the combination of the yummy buttercream filling, it’ll be amazing. Nonetheless, I’ve never made whoopie pies before, and I was quite impressed at how these turned out.

And they’re pretty to look at :)

Who said gingersnaps are only for Christmastime?

gingerbread whoopie pies with vanilla buttercream filling

2013-05-05 19:57:27

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For the Cookies

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 stick butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup molasses
3/4 cup milk

For the Filling

1 stick butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Cookies

Preheat the oven to 375.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, combine the shortening, butter and brown sugar; beat until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix to combine.
Mix in the molasses, the remaining dry ingredients, and the milk.
Drop 1 tablespoon of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between. Press the dough down until it's about 1/4" thick.
Bake the cookies for 12 minutes. Remove and cool completely on a cooling rack.

For the filling

Beat butter with mixer on high until light and fluffy.
Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and continue to mix until combined.
Pour in the milk and vanilla. Beat on high until mixture is at a fluffy consistency.
Scoop frosting into a piping bag, pipe a dollop of frosting onto the bottoms of the cookies and sandwich it with another cookie. Press together until frosting is visible on the sides.

Notes

If you don't have a piping bag, you can simply use a spatula or spoon to spread the frosting onto the cookies.

By Simple Everyday Food

Adapted from Diethood

Simple Everyday Food https://www.simpleeverydayfood.com/

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Well, now that I’ve satisfied that baking itch, I have two containers full of sweet sitting around the house. I guess whoever is working tomorrow is in luck :)

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Diethood

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soft and chewy white chocolate chip & cranberry cookies

Posted by :Amy On : March 21, 2013

Category: Desserts

Tags:cookies, cranberries, dessert, white chocolate chips

I know everybody has their own preference on how they like their cookies… some like them crispy, some like them soft, and well, some just eat them raw.

I’m not a fan of eating raw cookie dough – I can’t get over the fact that I’m eating raw eggs, and the texture weirds me out a little. I don’t like my cookies crispy either. When I think “cookies”, I think of soft and chewy cookies… not hard and crispy that may break a tooth when you bite into it.

That being said, I’m definitely a fan of soft and chewy cookies. When I say “soft and chewy”, I don’t mean gooey and half-raw in the middle to where it starts to break apart when you hold it with two fingers… I mean medium-well done and with a soft center.

Now that we’ve got my definition of “what a good cookie should taste like” out of the way, here’s a little story behind why I was so excited to make these cookies today:

At the place I work at, the only place to get something within the building that’s open late is Subway. For those that need a little reminder, Subway doesn’t just make subs. They also makes cookies… pretty good ones in fact. Even though they do have classic chocolate chip cookies, M&M cookies, and white chocolate macadamia nut ones, my favorite is their white chocolate chip and cranberry cookies.

Huh? Really?

Don’t get me wrong, every once in a while I love to indulge in some good ole fashioned chocolate chip cookies, but for some reason, their white chocolate cranberry ones are the only ones I eat there. The sweetness of the chocolate with the slight tartness of the cranberries are a match made in heaven… not the mention they’re always soft and chewy, just the way I like it.

In my opinion, these cookies come pretty dang close to the ones from Subway. They hold up pretty well in the freezer too, so save some dough and you can have yummy cookies within 8 minutes at a later time!

Ingredients:

1.5 sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and the sugars at medium speed until fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract. Turn the speed down to low, and slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Stir in the white chocolate chips and cranberries.
Cover and let it sit in the refrigerator for about an hour.
Drop balls of cookie dough onto the lined baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. It is important not to bake for more than 9 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wired cooling rack.

Note: like I mentioned before, these unbaked cookie dough balls freeze pretty well. I saved some and put them in a freezer Ziploc bag for next time :)

Enjoy!

Recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction

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